Remake! Out of Time and Space
by Mauselet-AliceAsuka
Summary: Sadness and insurance surrounded D-team after losing their friends. Two years passed and a new adventure begins. D-team must fight their own friends and a queen hidden in darkness to protect the world, but most importantly themselves. Rated - T for language, violence, blood, gore, etc.
1. Two Years Later

Sun went down over Sanjo City. People stared up in the sky; there was a big flying ship. Then the sky crack opened, a colorful tunnel appearing in the hole, and the ship flew in. They were fascinated. This starship, the other one, dinosaurs all over the world, the plants and insects, that dark cloud, all looked like from a sci-fi-fantasy movie. They couldn't find a meaningful answer to all of that.

There were only a few people who knew that answer; they all were standing in front of the D-lab, a strange-looking building standing on top a hill above the town.

Two of them, two children, run to the edge of the hill as the ship disappeared, waving and crying.

The adults cried a bit too, except for one.

They watched the children.

One of the kids, Zoe, wiped away her tears.

 _"No... I won't cry anymore. He wouldn't want to see me like this,"_ she thought.

Her friend, Max, unlikely couldn't stop crying.

They both waved for almost an hour, their arms hurt. Their families then led them home. Before that, they only smiled at each other. They were too weak for any words.

—

It was already dark outside when a young boy, Cole Taylor, came back home.

"Hey! I'm back!" He headed to the living room. He saw his parents. They still had some tears in their eyes; the mood was a bit tense.

"Hey, Cole!" his father greeted him.

"He's gone, right?" Cole asked, waiting for a nod, "he didn't even say goodbye to me. Hey! It's not a great tragedy. He's feeling better now. He has what he's always wanted."

He came over to his parents, hugging them. "I'm glad you're both back and okay," he murmured, "and that the house is back too. Where's Kid anyway?" "He's sleeping in his room," his mother replied, "don't wake him up, he needs to rest." "Okay, mom." Cole walked away backward, but that was a mistake.

He fell into a hole. He wouldn't expect something like that; no one would.

"Cole!" His parents ran to the edge of the hole, looking down at him.

"Holy dino! What the...? I won't even ask why it's here... Can you get me out of here?!"

They helped their son up.

"Sorry, I've forgotten about it," his father apologized.

"Why...? Just why, dad?" Cole sighed. "I go upstairs, and I hope the floor won't break under my feet."

He turned around, waved to his parents and headed up. "Goodnight."

Upstairs, Cole peeked in his little brother's room.

Max was sleeping and loudly snoring. Cole only grinned.

He then carefully closed the door and went into a different bedroom. It wasn't his own. It now seemed so empty. All the stuff of its previous owner was still there, and they couldn't take any of it with them.

"I'll miss you, dude," Cole whispered before closing the door and heading to his room.

—

The mood wasn't better at the Drakes.

Zoe was sadly looking down.

"I understand you're sad, but that won't change anything," her older sister told her. She as the only one didn't show any sadness, that made Zoe mad.

"No. You can't understand me! Why can't you feel the same?! Why don't you cry? Why are you so emotionless?!" she snapped and ran in her room.

"Zoe!" Reese yelled at her sister.

"Give her some time," her father told her.

"She's acting like a little kid," Resse growled.

"Because she still is," her mother said, "she'll sure feel better tomorrow."

Reese nodded and headed to her room.

The next morning wasn't much better. Zoe didn't show up, making everyone worried. Reese decided to talk to her.

When she came to the door of her sister's room, she heard crying. She knocked on the door.

There was no answer

She knocked again, "Zoe? Are you awake? May I go in?"

There was a long silence before a sobbing voice answered: "Yeah..."

Reese opened the door, coming in. Her younger sister was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor.

"I'm okay," Zoe said coldly, "what do you want?" "At first, I want you to be honest with me," Reese told her, "don't lie to me. You've cried."

Zoe glanced away. "Go away..."

"I can't. Tell me, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing... I only want everything to come back; I want him to come back."

"Come back...?" Reese repeated.

Zoe hugged her sister. "Sis, promise me nothing will change," she sobbed. "I can't do that, Zoe. You never know what can happen; that's how life goes. I can't promise you anything, but I can try."

"Thanks..."

Reese wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly.

"You should eat something and sleep; you must be tired. You saved the world just yesterday."

"I'm not sleepy nor hungry," Zoe replied.

"You've always been too stubborn, my little royal trouble."

—

Two years passed and everything went back to normal.

The first weeks were still strange for most people. There was one starship left floating in the water. The government later got rid of it. Since then, no one cared about the events.

Zoe was lying in her bed as the sunlight shined in her room. She got up, rubbing her eyes, yawning.

When she looked at the clock and realized what time is it, she rushed out of her room to the bathroom.

She's going to be late for the meeting!

It took her a quick minute, then she waisted her time on her hair.

Pigtails are too childish for her age, then again she does have pink hair.

"Overslept again?" Reese, who entered the room, asked, her hair completely messed up. Zoe giggled.

"Quit it! I guess you'll need these," she said, giving Zoe two yellow elastic bands.

"Thanks!" Zoe quickly made her hair and headed back in her room where she dressed up. Then she grabbed her bag and ran to the meeting place.

When she saw two brunettes waiting for her, she sped up, tripping. She fell to the ground. "Zoe!" The girls ran to her. The one with dark, short hair, Amy Stone, helped her to stand up, the other one wearing glasses, named Sue Ogata, laughed.

"Reese was right 'bout you being clumsy, girl!"

"Sorry that I'm late..." Zoe apologized.

"It's okay. We're still waiting for Alice anyway," Amy said.

"Since Paris is gone you oversleep every day, girl," Sue commented. "Sorry..." Zoe glanced away sadly.

Amy slightly poked Sue. "The hell?"

"You know how sensitive topic it is for Zoe," Amy whispered.

"Oh, C'mon on! It's been two years."

Zoe remained silent.

"Sorry, girl."

They waited for a few minutes until another brunette girl came over to them. She had black bags under her eyes and wore clothes with stops of paint.

She waved, yawning.

"Hi, Alice," the girls greeted her.

"Finally," Sue murmured, "'bout the hell time." Alice only grinned apologizingly and yawned again.

"You should sleep during the night more often," Amy told her.

"Alice has always been like an owl," Zoe joked, making others laugh.

"Let's go."

—

At that moment, Max fell off his bed, hitting his head. He sat up, rubbing his wound.

He looked at the clock and gasped. It was too late. He had just five minutes to get to school.

He rushed out of the house in a minute.

Cole laughed when he saw him. "You're so easy to prank, Kid!"

—

The girls headed to school.

They met a woman with blood-red hair. When she noticed the girls, she threw a cigarette to the ground stepping on it.

"Good morning, Mrs. Komatsu."

"Hello, girls."

"Smoking again, teach?" Sue asked her.

"You know I can't confirm that, Susan. You saw nothing."

Alice glared at the teacher.

"Don't look at me like that, Ali," Mrs. Komatsu told her daughter, "I've never said when I'll stop."

"As long as you aren't in trouble because of that, it's okay," Zoe said. "Yeah." The teacher nodded. "I have four teens to feed by myself, and that would be pretty hard without a job, so, please, don't mention it," she asked the girls, turning to Sue, "I especially mean you, Ogata." "Don't you trust your favorite former student, teach?" Sue wondered.

"Oh, hell no," Mrs. Komatsu mocked her, "you've always been a gossip girl."

"Hell no!"

"Don't worry, we'll stop her from talking if necessary," Zoe assured the teacher.

As the conversation was going on, Amy got a strange feeling as if somebody was watching them. She looked around and noticed a movement. Something hid behind a tree.

"You should go, so you aren't late," Mrs. Komatsu said. The girls nodded and walked away.

The teacher waved.

Max rushed passed her. She chuckled.

Then she saw that someone, hiding behind that tree.

She headed to it, but before she could recognize anything from the person's appearance, they disappeared in a strange smoke.

"Huh? No..."

She immediately took her mobile. "They're not gonna like that."

—

Meanwhile, Dr. Taylor got to the D-lab. Sitting down on a chair, when his phone started ringing.

"Hey, Spike, I don't have too good news for you," he heard Mrs. Komatsu's voice as he answered it.

"Lucy? What happened?" he asked.

"A little bit of vanishing in smoke."

"What?"

"Let's just say that the Akuno's spying on my former students."

"Wait, who exactly?"

"Zoe Drake, Susan Ogata, my daughter Alice, and their friend. I'm not sure what's Akuno planning, but this smells fishy. Michael and I will watch over them."

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know. Bye."

"Bye."

As the call ended, Reese entered the room.

"Dr. Taylor, we have a problem," she said.

"Let me guess; Akuno?"

She shook her head. "No. Somebody robbed in the lab; two fossils are missing."

"How? Which ones?"

"Dilophosaurus and Corythosaurus. I'm about to watch security footage, but since the alarm wasn't triggered, they had to have access here."

"And what if they didn't?" he asked, "the Akuno's in action again."

"But what would they need them for?"

"I have no idea."

—

Max rushed into the classroom, panting, thinking he's too late. He looked around, focusing on the clock. He had enough time before the first lesson begins; Cole only pranked him again.

He put his bag down and sat down to his desk.

Three minutes later, the girls entered the classroom. Alice disconnected from them and sat to her desk, laying her head down, falling asleep. Sue rolled her eyes. "Again?"

"You can't change someone's habits," Amy told her. "I hell wanna change girl's habit of oversleeping," she replied, rolling her eyes to Zoe.

"You're no better at waking yourself up," a brunette girl with dark wavy hair chuckled, walking to them, "if it weren't for me, you wouldn't wake up until ten, cousin."

Sue only growled in anger.

The dark-haired girl wore the most expensive jewels and glasses, the latest fashion clothes, and hairstyle; she looked gorgeous.

"Hi, Ema!" the others greeted her.

Sue glanced away, frowning.

"What's up, cousin?" Ema asked her, "lost for words? Strange. You usually don't shut your mouth no matter what."

"Be quiet, cousin... That you are mayor's daughter doesn't mean you can promote above the others."

"Chill out, cousin. I didn't mean it."

Sue frowned more at her cousin.

Then one of their classmates went to them. "I'm surprised how can you two live in the same house when you're about to kill each other just by standing in the same room for two minutes," he told the cousins.

"We can 'cause I'm fighting with her only when 'the great mayor Wada' isn't around," Sue explained. "Because you always have to fight with someone," Ema commented.

Sue heard that, glaring at her cousin. "The hell you said?!"

Zoe and Amy stepped between them.

"Okay, cut it off," the pinknette said, "this is worthless anyway." "Yeah," the brunette agreed.

"Sorry, girls, but I won't let her hell insult me just 'cause she's rich!"

"This isn't about the money, cousin."

This fight would go on and on if a group of boys didn't catch their attention.

They were laughing at something. When everyone in the classroom turned to the group, they saw one of them throwing a laptop on the floor, destroying it.

"Let me go!" a younger boy cried. A guy that seemed like the leader of the bullies hanged the boy by his T-shirt. "Stop it!"

The boy was pretty beat up, even bleeding.

They couldn't leave it like that. Before any of the friends did anything, Alice pushed the leader away from the boy.

He only laughed. "You? Really? No one better?" The leader was about to punch her, but Max hit him instead, stopping him.

"What the..."

"Stop it, Nicolas!"

"Why should I, Taylor?"

"You two losers against all of us?! No chance!" the bullies mocked.

"If you'd just give any chance to Justin!" Max shouted.

"You wanna play hero, Taylor?"

Nicolas punched Max causing him to fall to the floor.

Zoe gasped, ready to help her friend, but Sue held her back.

The rest of the bullies pulled Alice away.

"Nick, stop it already!" a blond girl tried to talk to the bully leader, he didn't care.

Nicolas started to beat Max up, when Michael, the boy who talked to the cousins, joined the fight, helping Max out.

Alice tried that too, but then a female voice yelled at them.

"ALICE ASUKA KOMATSU! MAX TAYLOR! MICHAEL MIHARU! NICOLAS KOMATSU! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Mrs. Komatsu stood in the door, glaring at all of the named. Everyone in the classroom looked at her, absolutely terrified.

The teacher helped Justin down and sent him to the nurse's office. Then she turned her attention to the four again. "You come with me."

They followed her to her office.

First, she talked to Nicolas inside, yelling at him.

"What do you think you're going to accomplish by bullying your little brother?! Haven't I taught you not to pick up on weaker?! Getting confidence by hurting the weak is disgusting!"

After long minutes of this, Nicolas finally walked out of the office, not even looking at the others. The bell already rang.

Then they all walked in, sitting down on the chairs.

Lucy was standing near the window across the table. She sighed.

"Where did I go wrong with him?" she asked quietly. She turned to the children and sat down.

"I can't believe he triggered you three to get beat up."

"Only Max got beat up," Michael said.

"I don't care!"

"What were we supposed to do? Let him continue bullying Justin until he ends up in a hospital?!" Max snapped.

"Look, I disagree with Nicolas' behavior either, but fighting him isn't the way. School Code strictly says that you must not even hit another student, which also applies to purpose pushing. I wouldn't mind you stopping Nicolas by force, but the principal doesn't like that. I'm so sorry he causes you troubles."

"Why can't he just be expelled?" Michael wondered.

"Miharu, talking to him is the most I can do here," Mrs. Komatsu told him, "I can punish him the way he deserves at home, but not here."

"But-"

"Taylor, I know this isn't right, but I can't do more."

"Not even for your son?!" Max asked her.

"I'm sorry. I'll call your parents and warn them that if anything like this ever repeats, we'll have to solve this the complicated way."

"I don't wanna sound rude, but do you realize you'll have to talk to my mom?" Michael demanded. Lucy changed her mind as he said that. She didn't feel comfortable talking to her sister; they haven't spoken to each other for a long time.

"Fine, I won't call, but please don't try to solve things that way again. Taylor, you go to the nurse's office, I'll let your dad know you're hurt. And you'll be released from school for today with Justin," she told Max who was bleeding a little bit. She then looked at Alice and Michael. "If you two aren't hurt, go back to class. I'll inform Michelle about this later."

Alice looked at her as if she was about to ask her something.

"I'll try to make sure your brother and his gang won't do that again, Ali," Lucy assured her.

When the children were gone, she didn't lose her time and called Spike once again.

"I'm keeping him busy today," she murmured.

—

Back in the D-lab, Reese looked the security footage. It wasn't there.

"What do you mean it isn't there?" Dr. Taylor wondered, "how would all of the footage just disappear?"

"All of the footage isn't gone, but the cameras we need were disabled," Reese explained, "they knew what they were doing. Whoever they are, they're dangerous; pieces of information are the strongest weapons in bad hands."

"Do you think it was the Akuno?"

"I don't know. The fossils have no purpose to the Akuno, but a common person would possibly sell them on the black market. I see no other use of them."

Their conversation was interrupted by a ringing mobile.

"Lucy? Today seems to be strange," Dr. Taylor said when he saw who's calling.

"What do you mean?"

"Lucy already called me today; she saw someone stalking Zoe and her friends."

"And you're telling me now? Turn it loud," Reese said.

He nodded and answered the phone.

"Hello again."

"Hey, just to let you know, Max is released from the school for today," Lucy told them.

"Why? What did he do?" Dr. Taylor worried.

"He stood up for Justin; Nicolas beat him up. I've sent both Max and Justin to the nurse's office; Kyra's there today because the nurse couldn't come, so she'll let them go. Max reminds me of you, Spike, you've always played a hero as well."

Dr. Taylor grinned. "Somebody has to be the hero."

"Yeah." Lucy sighed. "But I don't know what to do with Nicolas and Justin. No matter what I do, it won't stop Nicolas. Justin isn't safe at school, or home. Maybe he doesn't have to come to school for this last month before the summer break? I thought that he could spend that time in the D-lab if you and Reese don't mind."

"Letting Justin not go to school is irresponsible! I wouldn't expect that from you," Dr. Taylor chuckled.

"Dang it, Spike. Can you stop being childish for a while? I want to know I can count on you."

"Of course you can!"

"Thank you."

"Lucy, about that stalker," Reese said.

"Reese? Well, I noticed someone watching Alice and her group; Ogata, Drake, and Stone. When I got closer, they disappeared in smoke just like the Akuno members," Lucy explained, "I think the girls have no idea about it."

"As long as they aren't hurt..." Reese sighed.

"I'll make sure they're all okay," Lucy assured them both, "bye for now."

"Bye."

"I don't like this," Reese told Dr. Taylor when the call ended.

"Neither do I, but we can do nothing right now. We can't be sure anything bad is going to happen at this point. I go inform the others."

The scientist nodded.

—

Max entered the nurse's office, seeing the bullied boy; a pretty girl treated him.

She was a year older than Max, having short blond and brown hair with a purple scarf around her head, wearing a very revealing denim jacket and shorts. She was Justin's oldest sister.

"Ow... Kyra! That hurts!" Justin whimpered as the girl disinfected his wounds. "It'll be fine, Ivi. Just hold still for a second," she told him. Max chuckled at that nickname Kyra has for her youngest brother.

That made Kyra turned to the door. "Max! You're hurt too!" she worried.

"That's nothing..." Max grinned at her.

"You're bleeding, Max! It is something!" she snapped, "hold on, I'll get to you in a minute."

Kyra turned her attention back to Justin, patching his wounds.

While Max was waiting, the bell rang, signaling the break. Not a whole minute after, someone walked in the room.

Max looked back, his eyes meeting with Zoe's. They stared at each other until Sue bumped her arm into Zoe's side and whispered: "Girl, you're blushing." And she was right; Zoe's and Max's cheeks were completely red. They looked away when they snapped out.

Sue and Amy giggled.

Alice as the only one of the group stayed in the classroom, sleeping.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked them. The girls showed him the pieces of Justin's laptop.

"No!" Justin squeaked as he saw it. He rushed to them. "It is destroyed!"

He adjusted his glasses and looked closer. "I do not think there is a way to repair it..." he sobbed, putting all the pieces into his bag.

"At least you're okay," Amy told him.

"But what about my laptop?!"

"Bet Little Genius can fix it in hell no time," Sue murmured.

Kyra went to Max, treating his wounds. "You two should go home," she said.

"Yeah, your mom already mentioned," he told her, "but isn't that showing that we're weak? We can't back down. We must stop him."

"Probably, but not in school," Justin said, "I think I will go to the D-lab; I am safe there."

"Oh, C'mon on, Justin! You can't give up!" Max tried to cheer him up, but it didn't work. Before the bell rang again, the girls left.

—

Later the boys were on their way to the D-lab.

"I cannot fight him back," Justin mumbled.

"Huh? Of course, you can! And you should then forgive him."

"Forgive him? For making my life hell?"

"No, not for that. We're humans. We make mistakes. And everyone deserves forgiveness. It can make him a better person, be better than him."

Justin sighed, nothing of what Max said made any sense to him.

Then they saw something moving behind the trees; it was fast. An animal?

It ran into the woods.

Max had a strange feeling, as he knew it.

No, that's impossible.

Nothing like that can be.

He followed the animal.

"Are you crazy?" Justin wondered, watching Max's back as he slowly disappeared.

A feeling of loneliness and unsureness hit him hard. He ran after Max.

The animal led them to a place Max recognized immediately.

The tops of the tree were cut off, and one of them still had a huge hole just like Max remembered it.

The animal stopped, still hidden behind the trees.

Max stopped as well, panting.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked, "I know it's you. Don't you recognize me?"

 _"I do, but he doesn't allow me to show myself completely. I'm sorry, Max, but we must do this. For the greater good,"_ the animal thought to itself.

Justin caught up with the brunette, catching his breath. "Why...do we...have to...chase...it...? Look, Max, I do not like this...Whatever this is it does not bring anything good..."

"You're quite right," a voice said.

A person walked over to them. They wore a brown hood, covering their face.

They noticed a light blue symbol on his sleeve, two half-moons connected.

"Long time, no see, don't you think?"

—

Cole peeked in his little brother's and his friends' classroom, calling: "Your royalty?"

It made some people look at him.

His 'target' didn't respond, so he entered.

Most of the girls, but the one he wanted to talk to, watched him.

"He's handsome!"

"And cute too!"

"It's him! The rockstar Taylor."

"Max's brother?" they whispered.

"Um, royalty?" Cole walked to Zoe and her friends.

She turned to him. "I told you not to call me that."

"Sorry, princess. My dad just called me; somebody stole two skeletons from the lab," he told her.

"What?" Zoe gasped. "Why didn't Reese call me?" she asked herself.

"You know her; she's the happiest when she doesn't have to talk to anyone," Sue commented. Amy unlike her tried to stay out of the private conversation.

"This is none of your business, Ice Queen," Cole snapped, clearly insulting Susan.

"How the hell dare you call me that?!"

Amy held her friend, so, she wouldn't jump at Cole.

He turned back at Zoe.

"I have no idea, princess," he admitted, "I just thought it would be good for you to know."

"Thanks, Cole."

—

Reese was by herself working on her computer in the D-lab, controlling if everything else works as it should be.

Only the clicks of the mouse and keyboard sounded through the room until the door opened.

She usually recognizes people just by their footsteps, since she never turns around when the door open, but this time she wasn't sure.

She turned around, her eyes widened.

There is no way.

"What are you doing here?"

She got no answer.

"Answer me!"

"I'm sorry," they said, "there is no other way."

Suddenly, a bright light appeared.

Reese frowned. When the light died, she saw a strange animal.

She back away from it.

"Do what I say, and you won't get hurt."


	2. An Old Friend

It was another break between the lessons. The whole classroom formed into several groups and talked.

Sue and Amy wanted to do the same, but Zoe wasn't listening.

"Maybe we should leave her alone," Amy suggested. "Nonsense," Sue replied and poked Zoe's cheek.

"Hey, Earth to Zoe. You hear me?"

"Huh?" Her best friend looked at her. "What...?"

"Don't scare me like that, girl," Sue told her, "you don't usually ignore us... Did something happen?"

"No. I'm just thinking about those fossils. How could anyone rob in our D-lab?"

"Oh hell, girl, don't be bothered. It's just a bunch of old bones," Sue said.

Then Amy took her arm, pulling her closer. "I don't think she's bothered by the bones," she whispered to Sue, "Zoe's probably worried about Reese."

"Why?"

"If somebody got inside the D-lab to steal, they can do it again and try to hurt someone in their way." Her hand was shaking when she said that. Sue took Amy's hand to assure her. "Don't forget we're talking about Reese Drake; she's capable of self-defense, taking down a bad guy would be no problem for her. She's hell badass."

At that moment, Zoe's phone started ringing. When she answered it, her sister's voice greeted her.

"Zoe, please, stay away from the D-lab!"

"What? Reese?"

"Get to safety."

"Reese, what's going on?" Zoe asked.

Sue listened carefully.

"You're in danger. Just don't go to the D-lab-" Her voice became silence.

"Reese?" Zoe's eyes widened in worries. She heard muffled moans, tries to call for help.

"Reese?! A-are you okay...? Reese! Reese!" she desperately called for her sister but got no answer. "Sis...?"

She was shaking, scared. There was somebody's breath on the other side of the phone. "Listen, whoever you are; if you dare to hurt my sister, I'll make you pay!"

Then nothing but beeping sounded from the phone.

Zoe stood there for a while, her body trembling, her breath going faster.

"What the hell happened?"

"Zoe, are you okay?" her friends asked her.

She was silent.

Suddenly, she quickly headed out of the classroom.

Sue grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Let me go!"

"Girl, calm down!"

"I must go. I must go to the D-lab... Now!"

"You crazy? Reese told you not to go there," Sue reminded her.

Zoe looked confusedly at her.

"Yeah, I heard that."

"I must go..."

"What happened?" Amy asked again.

"I don't know...but Reese needs me!"

"No! It's dangerous for you. Zoe, promise me, you won't go there!" Sue snapped.

"No... I..."

"Promise!"

"Sue..." Zoe felt dizzy; she couldn't breathe.

She had to get in the D-lab right now.

Then Sue slapped her.

Amy gasped.

Zoe surprisedly stared, then shaking her head.

She felt air filling her lungs.

"I promise..."

"Sorry, girl...I had no choice."

She was still shaking, ignoring everything.

"We should take her to Kyra," Amy suggested.

Sue nodded, helping Zoe.

—

"Do you have a headache?" Kyra asked Zoe; she shook her head.

"You're pale, Zo... What happened?" Kyra turned to the two girls.

Amy who had no idea looked at Sue.

"Reese called her," Sue replied, she then stopped. Telling Kyra about something serious like that wouldn't be a good idea.

"And what? I-is Ree okay?!" Kyra panicked.

"Woah, calm the hell down. I bet she's fine," Sue told her.

"Yes, it'll be okay," Amy joined.

While that was going on, Zoe cautiously got out of the room and headed to the D-lab.

—

The door of the room opened, and another prisoner entered, falling to the floor. The door closed.

"Reese!"

She looked up and saw Max and Justin rushing to her. She sat up.

"Are you okay?" Max asked her. "Yes, I am. So, he got you too..."

"Unfortunately," Justin replied, "how can we get out of here now?"

Reese stood up. "Dr. Taylor should come back soon," she claimed, "but I have my doubts about his help."

"He can get us out!" Max said.

"Maybe if there was anyone else, but not with _him_ as a foe. I've called Zoe and warned her to stay away from here. She should be fine."

"That wasn't the best idea," he told the scientist, "Zoe's going to come here now."

"She isn't that dumb to go in danger like that."

"But the problem is that she is! The Zoe I know would immediately head in danger to help us."

"I know, Max. I just naively thought she grew common sense."

—

She rushed there. When she walked in and saw nobody in the main room, she shook in fear.

"Reese?! Are you here?!" she called.

There was no answer; she called again.

—

They heard her voice into the small room.

"Zoe!" Max pushed into the door, trying to get it open, but something blocked it from the outside.

"Zoe! We're here!"

"Max, wait!" Reese stopped him.

"Why? She can free us now."

"Us calling would only draw her attention to us, it would be easier for him to capture her too. She has to get out of here as soon as possible."

"But how do we do that?" Justin wondered, "he took our mobile phones, and my laptop does not work. There is no way to warn her."

Reese looked thoughtfully at the boy.

She rolled the right sleeves of her coat and shirt up, creating a hologram with a device on her wrist. _"This should be enough. Let's hope she's near the computer."_

—

Kyra had tears in her eyes, panicking. Sue still tried to calm her down, but Amy already gave up. She noticed that Zoe's gone.

"Um... Sue..." she murmured. No one took notice of her, and her weak quiet voice.

She sadly looked away.

They ignored her again.

She sighed and walked out.

"Alone again..."

She thought about going to stop Zoe herself, but she wasn't as brave as her friend.

She headed back into the classroom, her head leaning down.

She hit something. She looked up and saw Cole.

"Oh, hey Rolling Lizard!"

Amy frowned more at that nickname; she hated it, but she knew that telling him wouldn't change it. Nothing she says matters.

"Lizard? What's wrong?" Cole asked, "c'mon, you can tell me."

"I'm not the right person to explain it to you," she whispered and walked away.

"Huh? What the heck?"

Cole entered the nurse's office.

"Hey, do you know what's up with Amy?" he asked the girls. They looked at him, realizing both Zoe and Amy aren't in the room.

—

Back in the D-lab Zoe noticed one of the computers turned on. She walked to it curiously and saw her sister's face on the monitor.

"Reese! Are you okay?" she wondered.

"Yes, I am for now," Reese responded, "Zoe, you must get out of here, now!"

"Where are you?" Zoe seemed to ignore sister's warning.

"That doesn't matter. Just run!"

"Zoe, you're in danger," Max joined.

"Max?"

"Sis, don't be stubborn."

Zoe was about to reply, but then she heard heavy footsteps. She turned around and saw a big animal, small compared to similar ones; it had a slim blue body, yellow horns, and stripes.

A Carnotaurus?

No, it wasn't just a Carnotaurus, it was _the Carnotaurus_.

"Ace...?"

The Carnotaurus approached her, growling.

"You aren't going to hurt me," she said.

"How can you be so sure about that?" somebody asked her. They walked toward her, wearing a hood.

She stared at them in surprise. She knew that voice.

There was no way.

"Stay away from her!" Max snapped.

They didn't listen and stopped near her.

Zoe reached her hand to them, taking off the hoodie, revealing a face full of new scars, blond hair, and beautiful blue eyes.

"Where did you get those scars?" she asked the boy.

He didn't answer.

"Why are you doing this, Rex?"

"You can't understand," he said.

"Then try to explain."

"I'm sorry, Zoe."

"I can help you."

She took his hands, coming closer.

"Stay away."

"I wanna help."

"I said STAY AWAY-AHH!" he screamed in pain and slapped her.

"That's enough!" Reese yelled at him.

—

Her fists trembled in anger. She turned off the device and headed to the door, trying to open it.

Max and Justin were scared of her.

—

"What happened to you...?" Zoe asked Rex cautiously.

"I'm sorry... But I don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice. Tell me why are you doing this."

He sighed and took a small stone plate out of his pocket. He put two fingers to it, a light blue-almost grey-beam came out and formed into the same colored crystal.

"I need your crystal," he said.

"My crystal?" she wondered, "what do you mean?"

"You promised me your help. Give me your crystal."

"Rex, I don't know what you're talking about!"

He was quiet for a while.

"Then your guardian must have it."

"My guardian?"

He looked at the monitor; Reese's call already ended.

"Rex, look at me," Zoe told him. He didn't listen. She touched both of his cheeks and forced him to look at her.

"Listen. You're my friend, and I want to help you. It doesn't matter what happened that made you do this because we'll help you with it. Let the others go, and everything will be alright."

"No... You can't fix what I've broken."

"Let us try."

"I can't, Zoe. I'm sorry."

"Please..."

She moved closer to him.

"Let me help you..."

He blushed, their lips almost touching.

But when it was about to happen, someone grabbed Rex and pulled him away.

"Hey!"

He dropped the crystal.

Zoe noticed Cole holding Rex tightly away from her.

"Sorry, dude, but her first kiss belongs to Kid!" Cole chuckled.

Then the others came into the room. Reese headed quickly to Rex.

And then she slapped him.

There was dead silence until she spoke up: "Touch her again and I'll make you regret."

Everyone shook in fear, even the Carnotaurus that stood away from them, not trying to attack or anything.

She looked scary.

Everybody knows not to mess with her, but this was more than they expected. She usually keeps her emotions inside her.

Max grabbed Rex's neck. "How could you hurt her?! Why are you doing this?!"

The blonde said nothing.

Max was about to hit his best friend, but Justin took his wrist to stop him.

"Max, wait! You said before that we all make mistakes, that everyone deserves forgiveness. Why should I forgive Nicolas when you cannot forgive your best friend?"

"This is different!" Max snapped.

"In what?!"

"Fighting an enemy and forgiving a friend is easy to do, but forgiving an enemy and fighting a friend is hard for most people," Reese said.

"Max, I know you don't want to do this... I don't mean to hurt you, but they leave me with no other choice. I must fix my mistake... You don't understand. You can't understand..."

"Shut up!"

"Max, let him go!" Zoe yelled, hugging Max from the back.

"Zoe..."

"Don't hurt him."

Max looked at her sadly and put his hands off his friend.

"You too, Cole."

Cole did as well.

Then the door opened, and Dr. Taylor entered the room. He stared at Rex.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

Rex took his stone plate, touching a button on it. The Carnotaurus turned into a light blue beam and flew in Rex's hand. Then he changed into smoke.

Everyone glared confusedly.

"This is impossible," Justin said, "how can he be back and how could he just sublimate like that?"

He grabbed his hair in frustration.

"I think we broke Four-eyes," Cole joked.

"Alright, can anyone explain what happened?" Dr. Taylor wondered.

After an unnecessarily long explanation, he finally understood.

"You two didn't have to hit him that hard though," Zoe told Max and Reese. "He slapped you!" Max reminded her, "it couldn't be him. He would never do that."

"It was him," she said, "there was just something wrong with him... That's why he did that."

"It wouldn't happen if listened to me and stayed at school," Reese said.

"Then sorry I've tried to save you!" Zoe snapped coldly.

"Reese is right," Cole agreed, "you gave Sue and Kyra a heart attack when you disappeared like that and Amy didn't look much better."

"Why are you so irresponsible?" Reese wondered. "Because I'm not an adult like you!" Zoe growled.

"Stop fighting," Justin told them, "our bigger problem is what happened here."

The sisters looked away from each other.

"Yeah, what was wrong with him and how come he's back?" Cole asked.

"I doubt it was him," Max admitted.

"It was him," Zoe said, "he had the stone plate and Ace. It couldn't be anyone else."

"But how?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with that crystal?" Justin suggested as Dr. Taylor picked up the light blue crystal.

"What is that anyway?" Max questioned.

"I don't know, but he wanted my crystal..." Zoe replied, "where did he get the thought of me having one?"

"Maybe it's something just like the cosmos stones?" Cole theorized, "it has the same color as the crest on his stone. Maybe it can help the little guys, but I'm not sure how... But it's still Cole Taylor awesome theory!"

"If we overlook the fact you're turning into dad," Max laughed, "do you think it can help Chomp in some way?"

"Yeah!"

"But you do not have your dinosaurs," Justin reminded him, "and the stone plates destroyed themselves. It is impossible for Rex to have his."

"What if something recreated them?" Dr. Taylor suggested.

"Broken things will stay broken," Justin objected, "it is the same as death. You cannot bring dead people to life. It is hopeless."

"Don't say that word again," a mysterious voice said.

Everyone looked back. A boy with long black hair approached with a long-necked Lufengosaurus next to him.

"Nothing is hopeless."

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Justin screamed with a girly voice.

"It doesn't matter now."

"I think it does 'cause you shouldn't have access here," Cole told him, "whoever you are. And how come you have a dinosaur?"

"That's a long story," the boy answered, "and it connects to the one where your friend came back."

"What do you know about Rex?" Zoe asked him.

"He's a nice guy, but the darkness has him under control."

"The darkness?"

"They're also known as the Akuno, meaning evil. I think he should introduce you to his story, not me. Either way, you must be careful; the darkness has their plans, and they aren't afraid to kill to make them come true. You, the owners of the legendary crystals, can stop them."

"Owners of what?" Max wonder.

"The legendary crystals," the boy repeated, "you've heard the story of Greyholt, haven't you?"

They shook their heads.

"Unfortunate. This blue crystal," he said, pointing at the crystal in Dr. Taylor's hand, "is the wind crystal; he is its owner. And you, Max Taylor, Zoe Drake, Cole Taylor, Justin Komatsu, are the owners as well."

"Wait, what?"

The boy walked closer to them and gave Max and Zoe stones and grey and orange cards with a yellow symbol of lightning and a green symbol of grass respectively.

They looked at him surprisedly.

Then he turned to Cole and Justin, also giving them similar stone plates, one with a black symbol of sound and the other with a light yellow crest of the moon.

"Your guardians should explain everything to you when the right time comes. For now, do what you do best; fight for hope and your friends. He needs your help, but the despair they caused him has blinded him."

"But how do you know all of this?" Max asked him.

The boy smirked and showed them another stone plate. This one was different; it had three round gems, blue, golden, and grey.

"Because I am one of you."

"Then why don't you tell us more?" Cole wondered, but the boy already disappeared in smoke just like Rex did.

"Where is he?" Zoe demanded.

"I'll do you one better; who is he?" Max wondered.

And Cole ended their questions: "I'll do you one better; why is he?" The others looked at him.

"All of this means there are another seven stone plates," Justin assumed, looking at his stone, "and we have just seen three of them."

He touched a button on the side of it; he glowed in yellow light.

Cole tried the same, glowing in a darker light.

"Wow...? Holy dino, this means I can finally have a dinosaur!" Cole cheered.

"That's so unfair," Dr. Taylor murmured.

"Cole, you obtaining a stone plate doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a dinosaur," Reese told him, "dinosaur cards match the original seven stones only. There is no one to make the cards at this point."

"Then why would he give us the stones?" Cole wondered.

"You don't even know who he is," she replied.

Meanwhile, Max and Zoe swiped the grey cards. The cards changed into yellow and green light. The light transformed on the floor into two beings. Yellow Triceratops started to bite Max's leg. He fell to the ground. "Chomp, stop," he laughed. Zoe hugged green and blue colored Parasaurolophus. "Paris, I missed you so much."

Their families smiled at that.

"Zoe, shouldn't you and Cole be at school right now?" Reese asked her little sister, breaking the happy moment.

"You should go before you get in trouble," Dr. Taylor told them.

"Yeah, yeah... Let's go, royalty..." Cole mumbled, heading out, but before that.

"Wait," Max stopped them, "be careful."

"Don't worry, kid."

Cole stood behind Zoe, holding her shoulders.

"Nothing will happen to her; I'll protect your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?!" Max and Reese repeated. His cheeks became red like a tomato. A fire began to burn in her eyes. Cole shook in fear. "I just dug myself a grave," he whispered.

 _"Omg, I'm so so dead..."_ he thought.

Zoe only glared at him.

The two left.

"Max, Justin, would you go for some materials for me to make a new summoning device?" Reese asked the boys. They nodded and walked away.

"So, Lucy was right; Akuno's inaction," Dr. Taylor said, "I've never thought they'd use Rex against us."

"No one has... But we're left with no other choice than fight."

"You know the kids can't do that."

"That's what the Akuno counts on. We can't let them have what they want. We must go above Akuno's expectations to win this war."

"This isn't a war, Reese. Not yet."

"You're talking like you've never met _her_. Using Rex is just one of her many tricks. If we keep being sentimental towards our enemy, we won't make it out alive."

"I've never thought you would ever refer to him as an enemy."

She didn't respond to that.

"It's better if we meet with the others tonight."

She nodded.

Soon the boys came back with a box with some metals inside.

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

"Justin, could you help me with making the device?" Reese asked the youngest boy.

"M-me? No." He sadly turned away. "How can I help you? Nicolas is right when he calls me a screw-up. I am useless."

"Don't say that!" Max snapped at him, "that he says so doesn't mean it's true. Why would you even listen to someone like him?"

"Because I cannot do anything useful. Everyone says that."

"You shouldn't believe someone's lies," Reese told the boy.

"Don't let anyone define who you are," Dr. Taylor added.

"It is easy for you to say... But I am not as brave strong or wise as you."

Justin sat on the floor, almost crying.

Chomp came to him. He sniffed and bit his bag, accidentally tearing it apart. Parts of Justin's broken laptop fell out of it.

Justin only looked back at it, sobbing.

Reese picked the pieces up. "I'll fix it for you if you help me."

His curious brown eyes stared into her purple ones. "What do you say?"

"Okay." He nodded.

Meanwhile, Dr. Taylor talked to his son.

"Max, Mrs. Komatsu phoned me. You've been fighting again."

"I'm sorry, dad, but I couldn't let Nicolas bully Justin again. I can't let evil win."

"I know, but you'll make it worse for yourself if you break the School Code. You can give Nicolas what he deserves, but only out of school and when you do not provoke the conflict first."

"Okay, dad."

—

Cole and Zoe came back to school. She was silent the whole way.

"You okay, royalty?" Cole asked her.

"I told you not to call me that."

"You're feeling bad because of Rex, right?" he realized.

"I know he would never hurt me," she said, "that guy said that the darkness controls him. We must save him."

"We will; don't worry." He grinned at her.

Zoe walked back into the classroom. Sue immediately ran to her.

"Girl! Don't hell do this to me again. I was worried."

"I'm sorry, Sue..."

"Was it the hell worthy going there?" the brunette wondered. "I think so..." Zoe replied, "Reese is okay."

"What happened?"

"It's complicated."

Sue frowned and noticed a stone plate in Zoe's hand. "What is that, girl?"

"N-nothing..." Zoe chuckled and tried to hide the stone.

"Don't lie to me."

"It's nothing."

"Girl, you're a bad lair. Why don't you tell me the truth? I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

Zoe stared unsurely at Sue, thinking. Then she nodded.

"Okay, but after school and no one else."

"Hell yes!"

They went to sit to Amy.

She was quiet, well, more than usual.

"Are you okay, Amy?" Zoe asked her.

"Yeah. I was just worried about you," Amy replied with a weak smile on her face.

—

As Zoe promised, she explained some things to Sue.

They went to Zoe's home, hanging out in the living room, eating a delicious cake made by her mother.

"So, talk, girl. What the hell are you hiding?" Sue wondered.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain," Zoe started. She took her stone plate and card, swiping across the stone, summoning still a little version of Paris.

Sue just stared, blinking in confusion as a green beam formed into a tiny dinosaur.

"The hell...? Paris? How the hell-"

"Stay calm; I'll try to explain. Two years ago, Max, Rex and I found these stone plates and cards with symbols on them. The cards react to the stones with the same symbol. It allows us to summon dinosaurs, just like I just did with Paris."

"You're telling me that she's a dinosaur," Sue murmured, pointing at Paris.

Zoe nodded. "She's a Parasaurolophus, and you haven't seen her full form yet."

"That means that you guys were behind all that mess two years ago?"

"Kinda... We were able to teleport from the D-lab to places where the dinosaurs appeared, getting the cards before the Alpha Gang does."

"Who's Alpha Gang?"

"The villains who tried to get all the cards. They're from the future."

"Future?! What the hell?! How?"

"They traveled through time with Rex's real parents; that's how he got here. There was an accident, and he got lost in time."

"He's from the future too? Girl, what the hell? And now you're gonna tell me you traveled through time too," Sue commented.

"Actually... Yes."

"Oh gosh, girl... Who knew about that?"

"Only our families," Zoe replied.

"Okay... I should have suspected that since what happened in the caves back then. Wait, does Amy know about that?"

"Not really, but she made a bond with a Euoplocephalus."

"Hey, girl, we have enough time. Explain the details," Sue said.

—

 **Well, that's it. Since the next chapter, more changes in the story and narration will happen. A little warning for the next chapter, part of it is going to be a bit...intense and emotional.**

 **And as for Cole nickname for Amy, 'Rolling Lizard'. It's because she likes lizards (obviously) and because of her headcanon last name 'Stone'; it reminded Cole of the band The Rolling Stones, so he's chosen this nickname.**


	3. My Fault

**Warning, this chapter may contain uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

It was a peaceful evening. The sun was setting.

No one knew what was going to happen; no one could stop that.

A strange spaceship was flying over the city, hidden from the view.

A young blond boy was walking inside with his pet Carnotaurus. They noticed smoke filling the corridor. Both Rex and Ace hurried to the source of it. They stopped immediately at that room. His parents were inside. Rex ran inside.

He saw two figures behind the fire.

"Mom! Dad!" he shouted. He was about to head to them, but somebody appeared in his way; a boy a bit older, he had black hair, dark eyes, and a black coat.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Rex stopped. "Get out of my way."

"Don't be rude. Haven't your parents both biological or adoptive taught you to be polite? They call me Drack."

"I don't care about your name!" Rex snapped.

"Maybe you should. It would be good for you to know the one who you're going to be vengeful towards."

"What...?"

The boy Drack looked at the two figures with a smirk on his face.

Rex's eyes widened. "Don't you dare..."

"I will."

Drack was about to kick Rex, but Ace suddenly ran between them, getting hit.

"Ace!" The Carnotaurus flew away, then hitting the hard floor.

"Stupid Carnotaurus..."

"You!" Rex watched his dinosaur, gritting his teeth.

"And now you," he heard. As soon as he turned back at the black-haired, he punched the blonde. Rex fell to the floor, unconscious.

Drack evilly grinned and got to work.

Rex was lying there, his head hurt. The fire around was still spreading. He heard screams and cries. He wanted to get up, open his eyes and stop that guy, but all of his strength was suddenly gone. All the smoke made him dizzy.

Then when the screams stopped, two other voices started talking to Drack. Rex couldn't recognize what they were saying. He tried to get up again, unsuccessfully.

Suddenly, he heard a soft, weak voice.

"Wake up... Please, wake up."

He opened his eyes slightly to see a pale slim dark-haired girl. Her big red eyes stared worriedly at him. He noticed a scar over her right eye.

"You must get up...They need you..."

"Give it up, little worm," Drack told the girl while dodging an attack from a male android, "there's nothing he can do to stop us."

Girl's eyes filled with tears.

Rex watched the scene of his butler and the boy fighting. The fire took all of his energy.

Drack stopped avoiding the hits, standing still in front of the android. As the robot was about to hit him, the boy disappeared in smoke. The android looked around, looking for him.

Rex was confused too. Then the boy reappeared behind the android.

"...wa...tch...watch...out..." the blonde murmured, but he couldn't hear him.

Drack grabbed android's head, tearing it from its body, throwing it away to parts of already destroyed maid android, and the body fell to the floor.

"So weak."

Anger filled Rex up, making him stronger. He got up, running to the boy, his hands clenching in fists.

"Don't waste your energy on me and rather go to see them until you can." Drack tilted his head the way the two figures were standing before.

Rex shivered, turning that way. He looked back at Drack, noticing blood on his coat.

It was...no, it couldn't be it, he was wrong!

"No...That's wrong..." Rex wasn't sure if he should believe that or not. He must know the truth. He rushed to the place where he saw the two figures.

His body completely froze once he saw both of his parents lying in blood.

He heard sobbing. He made a few cautious steps forward. "...m-mom...?" He fell to his knees. The blond woman looked up at him, reaching her bloody hand to him. Tears ran down his face.

"...don't cry..." She touched his cheek gently. He held her hand there tightly.

"This is my fault... If I was just able to get up when you needed me... I won't let him get away with this..."

She shook her head, smiling at her son. Her eyes slowly closed. He felt like her hand wants to fall to the floor. They both were weak the loss of blood and the heat.

"...I'm sorry...sorry...sorry...sorry...sorry...I'M SORRY!" he cried out, repeating those words.

They could still hear him but weren't strong enough to comfort him.

He buried his face in his hands, crying.

It seemed like several hours has passed as he still heard their heavy breaths when he felt something licking his cheek. He uncovered his face, seeing his Carnotaurus trying to comfort him.

"...thank you, Ace..."

"Get going, slut!" someone yelled. Rex recognized Drack's voice.

He immediately got up, heading after that voice. He peeked to the corridor. The dark-haired girl and Drack were taking cards and stones through a strange portal. It seemed like the portal headed to a multi colorful tunnel.

"Fine, this should be all, but... Hey! Where's the seventh stone?!" Drack asked, turning angrily at the girl.

"I... don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?! Wait-that Carnotaurus," he realized, "that blondie must have it. Go get that last stone plate and don't you dare come back without it!" He left through the portal.

Rex ran behind him, but the girl stepped in his way. "...stop..."

"Get out of the way."

"...I can't..."

"Get out of the way!" he yelled, scaring the girl. She made a few steps back. "I can't let him get away after what he's done! Get away!"

"...I...am not your enemy..."

"Then don't try to stop me," he growled, pushing her away and running through the portal. He expected to appear in the tunnel, but he was standing in a dark corridor instead. He walked through the first door into a dark-walled room.

The room had no windows and weak lights.

There was Drack, holding the rest of the cards, and more people; a tall dark-haired boy with pale muscles; ginger girl in a very light and tight outfit; a boy with long black hair, and a green-eyed girl with pink hair and a brown cape over her shoulders.

"Oh, you're here," Drack said, looking a little shocked.

Rex couldn't hold his anger any longer. He took a stone plate out of his pocket, pressing a button on it, changing Ace into a card that flew in his hand. Rex swiped the card. And a Carnotaurus appeared, roaring.

"Damn it, Drack. Why did you make him mad?" the boy with long hair wondered.

"For fun," Drack answered.

"For fun?!" Rex snapped, "you've killed people I love for fun?! Ace, attack!"

The Carnotaurus growled, but he didn't attack.

"Don't stand there, Ace!"

He refused.

"Fine. If you won't do it..." Rex headed to the boy in a coat and punched him. Drack looked at him with a smirk. "Is that all you can do?" he questioned the blonde and kicked him in the stomach, making Rex fall to his knees.

"I can easily rip your head from your body as I did to that android."

The blonde looked hatefully up at him.

"So weak."

Ace roared at him, changing his mind. He won't let that guy hurt his partner.

"Stop fighting!" a weak voice screamed. The dark-haired girl stepped between Ace and everyone else.

"...you're aren't evil...don't do what isn't right..."

Ace stopped. She reached her hand to him and he nuzzled it.

Rex looked up at the girl and then back at Drack, trying to get up.

Before he could, someone entered the room.

Ace stepped back. Rex looked at an older grey-haired woman.

 **"What have we here?"** she asked.

"Majesty, this boy followed us from the future," Drack replied, bowing, "but to be honest, we were lucky he did, because he brought one of the stone plates and his Carnotaurus."

Woman's eyes fell on the dinosaur. **"He looks strong enough."**

"Who are you?" Rex wondered.

 **"You're Rex Ancient Owen, am I right?"** the woman looked at him, **"why are you here?"**

"Revenge," the blonde hatefully replied.

 **"Revenge?"**

"He is here because of me," Drack told her, "I killed his parents and destroyed androids that stood in my way."

 **"Why? I've never told you to."**

"You've mentioned killing them."

 **"I meant all of them at once. Never mind. Kill him."**

"Your majesty, wait!" the ginger stopped her, "he's too hot to be killed." That made Rex blush.

"Mary, you've fallen for another fool?" Drack wondered.

"Maybe... I mean, we don't have to kill him. We can use him," the girl named Mary tried to convince everyone.

"I must agree with her there," the tall boy joined, "he's the only one who can master this Carnotaurus and the wind stone plate; that means he's an owner and he can be useful."

 **"Fine then, take care of him,"** the woman said and walked away.

"Cruz, Dengyo, take him in his cell and don't forget that little slut too," Drack told the two black-haired boys. They nodded.

The one with the long hair grabbed Rex, but he fought back. That annoyed Drack, so he punched him in the stomach again, making the blonde pass out.

Ace growled at him angrily. He walked towards Drack, opening his jaws for him, but the boy turned into smoke. The dinosaur looked confusedly around, trying to smell him.

Meanwhile, the other two guys brought Rex and the dark-haired girl to the cell, putting each of them into their own.

The tall boy waited there until Rex woke up.

"Who are you?" Rex asked him, "let me out!"

"Cruz Makuto," he replied, "I'm not your enemy."

"How can I trust you?"

"It's up to you."

"He...isn't like the others...he isn't that cruel..." the girl in the other cell murmured. Rex looked at her. "My...my name is...Damita Makuto...but I'd...rather not go under that name..."

Rex nodded.

"Damita, Dengyo, and I don't want to hurt you," Cruz told him, "and it seems Mary fancies you, so you should be okay, but..."

"But?"

"Since you're an owner, Zepar wants your crystal."

"My crystal? Owner?"

"There are several legendary crystals, and you and your friends are their owners. Yours is the wind crystal," Cruz explained.

"But I don't have it..."

"But your guardian does. I bet he'll give it to me if I tell him it's to protect your life. I'll explain everything to you, but right now-"

"Cruz, the queen wants you to take the new prisoner to the throne room." A pink-haired girl walked in the corridor. It was that moment that Rex realized what she has around her neck; it was a black round jewel, a cosmos stone.

How? T-that's impossible.

Cruz nodded and opened Rex's cell. "Give me your stone plate," he whispered to the blonde, "it's better if you go there unarmed. They won't attack you." Rex obeyed, handing over the stone plate.

"Can you take him there, Kami?" Cruz asked the girl, "I'll catch up with you." She nodded.

The girl named Kami led Rex through the dark corridors. There were no windows in this place. Before they entered the throne room, Cruz rejoined them. Once they went in, Cruz and Kami bowed.

The grey-haired woman was sitting on a throne, wearing a golden crown with some gems. Drack, Mary and the boy with long black hair Rex assumed to be Dengyo, the name Cruz mentioned before, were in the room as well.

"Where is Ace?" Rex immediately asked.

 **"On a different floor, we put him to sleep. I'm sure you're also wondering who I am. Zepar's my name, the queen of darkness. This place and my servants are called the Akuno. When it comes to the death of your parents, it wasn't according to my plan; it's only Drack's fault. I had my plans with them, you and your friends."**

Rex just glared at Drack.

 **"And the year you're in is 2010."**

He looked back at her.

 **"Yes, two years after you left. Anyway, owner, tell me, why shouldn't I kill you-"**

"Because he's indeed an owner. He had this," Cruz interrupted the queen, showing her a light blue crystal, "as Mary said, he can be useful. He and the dinosaurs."

"My queen, you know we cannot use the stone plates of lightning, wind, and grass, but he can at least one of them," Kami said.

Zepar smirked. **"You are right, princess. Give him and that Carnotaurus the two prototypes, so they obey. And about those plates that we cannot use, don't forget I obtain the same power, we'll make our own stone plates and cards. Drack, Mary, get me some fossils to bring them back to life, and princess, you sure can modify those disgustingly messed up dinosaurs, the secret ones. Cruz, Dengyo, you take care of our new member."**

"Why do you expect me to help you?" Rex asked the queen.

 **"I'm sure you'd like to see your parents again. Help me, and I'll bring them back to life."**

Rex's eyes widened. It was a great opportunity. He nodded immediately, not realizing the consequences.

Those quests took the Akuno the whole night. In the morning Dengyo sneaked into the lab. There were the seven stone plates and dinosaur cards laying around, but there was also a new set of seven stones and cards.

He took the center stone of the new ones, looking through the cards to find one matching it. He grabbed a gold-colored card with a picture of a Lufengosaurus on it. Carefully running the card across a button on the stone, a small real-life Lufengosaurus appeared.

It looked around confusedly.

Dengyo heard footsteps approaching. He quickly turned the dino back into a card, grabbing a bag Drack used to carry all the cards, putting most of the stones and some cards in it. Then he vanished.

—

In another second he was standing in his room.

He looked out of the window; the sun was coming up. He hid all he stole in his school bag and headed downstairs. He sat down on a couch and activated the Lufengosaurus card again. As the dino appeared, Dengyo's eyes started to close. The Akuno kept him awake for several nights.

After an hour, someone started to shake with him. "Dengyo, wake up."

He opened his eyes, looking at a brown-eyed woman with glasses. She hugged him. "I'm so glad you're back home, but..." She looked away, watching the Lufengosaurus wondering around. Some of the plants had their leaves bit off.

"Did you have to bring a baby dinosaur home?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry, mom."

She smiled at him.

"I had no other choice; they would experiment on him. I think it's finally time, for the owners to fight," Dengyo said, "Akuno stole the dinosaur cards plus created their own, such as him." He continued, referring to the Lufengosaurus. "They want to attack soon but I can't stay there any longer."

"Hey, Zakuro, what's going on here, sweetie?" a man came in the room, walked over to Dengyo's mother, pushing her black hair from the face.

"Den's got a new pet," she replied.

The man looked curiously at the dino. "Den, when you said that something strange's coming I've never thought about this little guy," he admitted.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" a blue-haired boy wondered, a wide smile on his face, "is that a dinosaur?"

So, that was the whole family, the mother, Zakuro Shiraki-Shinori, the father, Sora Shinori and the sons, Dengyo Shiraki and Kenji Shinori. While the two male with golden eyes watched the dinosaur, Dengyo stood up. The Lufengosaurus ran to him. He looked down.

"Can we keep it?" Kenji asked sweetly.

"Yeah, Zakuro, can we keep it?" Sora asked as well.

The woman rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Oh, C'mon, Zakuro." Sora picked the dino up, moving it in front of his wife. The Lufengosaurus licked her cheek. "It likes you!"

Zakuro smiled. "Fine. But how do you want to take care of a dinosaur?"

"Just like those three kids," Dengyo spoke up, "since he is in his chibi form, it won't be that much of a trouble. So, how are we going to call him?"

"What about Luffy?" Kenji suggested.

"Let's call him Shadow," Zakuro said. The Lufengosaurus roared happily. "Anyway, let's have breakfast, so, you can go to school."

As soon as they finished eating, Dengyo headed upstairs, changing into his school uniform taking his school bag and making his way to school.

Walking for a while, he saw a black limo driving past him and a brunette girl with glasses hatefully watching it. He walked over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her.

"Hell I'm not!" she snapped, "it's hell unfair that one person gets a ride by limo and the other one from the SAME house doesn't!"

He just confusedly stared at her. Her anger reminded him of the Akuno members.

"She as the mayor's daughter gets everything, but his poor niece has to walk to school..."

"Life is unfair, you know," he told her, "all you have to do is to deal with it."

She frowned at him, then looked away. "Who the hell even are you?" Before he could answer, she noticed her friend. "Hey, Amy!" she called. The other girl walked over to her.

"Hi, Sue. What's the hold-up?"

"I was talking to-" The first girl turned back to Dengyo, but there was no one standing there. No trace of anyone. "-the hell...? Where the heck did he go?" she wondered.

—

Rex was in a cell again when he woke up, his head hurt.

"Great, you're awake."

He looked up, standing. Cruz was there watching him.

"This is getting a little creepy," the blonde commented. "Don't worry...He's doing it to make sure you're okay," Damita in the next cell whispered.

Cruz nodded. "She's right. Drack would be very happy to come torture you. Well, he did already. The scars he made on your face, the pain you had to feel when we implemented the chip."

"Why do I even have to have it?" Rex asked.

"It's to make sure you'll obey," Cruz replied, "it'll shock you if you don't obey. I disagree with it, but it's still better than if they'd have you as a prisoner."

Rex nodded. "Can I ask something more? Where did you get the cosmos stone and why does Kami have it around her neck?"

"I don't know myself..."

"I have it for the same reason why you have the chip implement," Kami's voice answered as she walked over to them. This time not having the stone. "It makes Zepar's power stronger, so, she can control me," she explained.

She walked closer to the cell. "Rex, I am sorry for your loss. But this was supposed to happen; no one could have stopped that."

"How can you know that?!" Rex snapped.

"Because if it didn't happen, no one of us would very likely be here. Rex, look at me; don't you recognize me?"

Rex did so, Kami's pink hair, green eyes, and rosy cheeks.

—

Dengyo got into the classroom; his little brother was already there, talking to his two friends.

One of them was a hyperactive light-haired boy with glowy green eyes and an old scar on his nose. He slightly pounded Kenji's shoulder as he said something to the rest. Kenji chuckled, and a brunette rolled her eyes, grinning.

The boy Andy couldn't keep his eyes off her. Her dark eyes, brown hair with a star hairpin, ever since she cut it short, he wasn't able to look away from her.

Dengyo walked over to them. "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Den!"

"What took you so long?" Kenji asked him.

"I took a longer way," he replied, "I needed to relax a little bit. What were you talking about?"

"Kenji was about to flirt with Sabi since she's the only girl in school he hasn't tried to charm yet," Andy told him.

"He has no chance," Dengyo said.

"Exactly!" Andy agreed, "Sabi's out of his league! She's pretty and smart, the best girl in the school-" Sabi cleared her throat, getting boys' attention. Her cheeks were redder than before. As Andy looked at her, he blushed even more than her.

"Guess I don't have a chance because I have a love rival," Kenji joked, "this suddenly turned into a romantic drama anime, I love it!"

Dengyo sighed. "You really should start to live in the real world, brother."

"Hey, some anime are based on real-life!" Kenji objected.

"Which one?" his half-brother wondered.

"The one where they attack giant people? Or the one where they use alchemy as magic? Or where are magic guilds? Or where they have to kill each other to get out? Or the one with dinosaurs in cards and time traveling?" Andy questioned.

"Leave him alone," Sabi said, "stars say that Aries can be a bit fanatic and have almost crazy ideas today. It is caused by-" She kept on talking, but the others didn't understand, giving her weird glares.

She frowned when she finished. "It isn't my fault you didn't educate about astrology and astronomy."

"I'm only interested in one star," Andy murmured, looking at Sabi.

Then the bell rang, the friends sat to their desks, and the class started.

Once their school ended, Dengyo left his bag in the locker, but not before he took four stones and cards out of it and summoned Shadow. Then they teleported.

—

He appeared in a lab several people were talking there.

"Broken things will stay broken; it is the same as death. You cannot bring dead people to life. It is hopeless," a short brunette said.

"Don't say that word again," Dengyo spoke up and walked closer to the people, "nothing is hopeless."


	4. Guardians

In the silence of the library, Sabi was explaining things to her blond friend. She desperately tried to educate her. Meanwhile, the blonde kept her light blue eyes on the display of her phone, texting and sometimes playing with her very long hair.

"Um, Niki, are you listening?" Sabi asked her. The blonde looked at her for a second, responding, "yup." And turning her attention back to her phone.

"Niki!" the brunette raised her voice, "stop updating your Myspace and pay attention to me. I'm trying to help you here."

"Well, sorry, but Nick posted a new photo!" Niki told her, her eyes shining in happiness. She showed her a photo of a brunette boy. Sabi rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're getting worse in school, you either look at your phone or strip Nicolas with your eyes. Try to focus. Put the phone on the table."

Niki did so, pouting.

Sabi started explaining again. Niki listened carefully. Throughout education, Niki's phone rang. Her eyes fell on it.

"Don't even think about that," Sabi told her.

Niki frowned, still looking at it. Sabi noticed and took the phone. Niki reached for it, but Sabi put her hand up, so she can't reach it.

"Sabi!"

"No way!"

"Well, just let me answer to that message!"

"Forget about that."

Niki leaned over her friend still trying to reach her phone. Sabi's chair lost balance, and the two girls suddenly fell to the floor.

"Ow!"

Some people shushed them.

"Sorry."

Niki snitched the phone and replied, still lying on Sabi.

Sabi glared at the blonde.

"So, done! Well, did it hurt?" Niki wondered.

Sabi raised her eyebrows. Then she noticed their bags also fell over. Their books were lying around, but not only them. There were two strange lithographs and cards.

Sabi picked one stone up, examining it. It had a golden symbol of a star.

"What's that?" Niki asked her, taking the other stone with purple mountains and the cards with the same symbol.

—

On the other side of the city, in the school's art club its leader was drawing. The room was calm and silent until the door burst opened and her older sister Kyra entered the room. Alice got scared and accidentally draw a line across the picture. She glared sadly.

"Ally, you won't believe what I've just found!" Kyra said happily, "I left the nurse's office for a while and when I came back. This-" She showed Alice a stone plate and a card. "-was lying on the table. You know what that means!"

Kyra was so full of happiness she started to sing.

Alice smiled, showing her also a stone and a card. Hers was different; it had three gems, red, blue and yellow.

Kyra stopped singing, focusing on the card. She gasped. "You have Tashi! I knew that you two would meet again!" Alice nodded and swiped the card.

A small Pachycephalosaurus appeared, looking around. Something was different about it. The last time Alice saw this dinosaur, a blinding light shined from its head, but now it's gone.

The Pachycephalosaurus nuzzled Alice's leg.

"Aww! She's adorable!" Kyra squeaked and did the same, summoning a Corythosaurus, squeaking even more.

—

The sisters weren't the only ones who discovered their new dinosaur friends.

"So, if I run the card across that button from above, a chibi dino will appear?" Andy asked Kenji. The blue-haired boy nodded. "How do you know that?"

"Somebody once told," he replied, then they both sang the next part. "The world is gonna roll me!"

"Anyway, hurry up!"

Andy did as told. The card with a crest of the sun changed into an orange beam, transforming into a small orange Coelophysis with blue spots.

"That's so cool!" Andy picked the dino up. It looked at him curiously.

"And what will happen if I do it in reverse?" he questioned.

"It'll probably be a fully grown one," Kenji theorized.

"Will we try it?"

"Sure we will!"

Andy touched the button, bringing the dino back in the card and slashing it in reverse.

The beam turned into a much bigger version of the dino.

"Woah!"

—

In the D-lab Reese worked on the new devices, while Max tried to encourage Justin.

"You can't let Nicolas bully you like that."

"Yes, I can. I am going to hide here forever..."

Max slightly pounded Justin's shoulder. The boy whined. "What was that for...?"

"To encourage you!"

"It does not help... I cannot fight Nicolas and his gang alone."

"Who said you're alone?" Max asked him, "I'll be there with you. We're friends after all!" He grinned at him, touching his shoulder. He smiled back.

The work was interrupted by a sudden beeping from a prototype device. Max's stone was already inside.

"A dinosaur?" Dr. Taylor wondered.

Reese turned her attention to the device, plugging it in the computer. A map appeared on a big screen with a red light flashing.

"It's in the city, it's-" The signal suddenly disappeared. "It's gone."

"How could it disappear so fast?" Justin questioned.

"Maybe it was Rex?" Max said, "but why?"

Reese frowned, keeping her eyes on the screen.

—

Andy turned the Coelophysis back into the chibi form and let it climb on his shoulder.

"This is unfair," Kenji murmured.

"Maybe you'll find one too," Andy told him, "but now you gotta face the fact I have Aaron!"

"Aaron?"

The boy with a scar nodded. The dino jerked its tail.

—

The girls walked to the woods near the city.

"So, Sabi, why are we going so far away?" Niki asked.

"I have an idea," the brunette replied, "and if I'm right, we'll need some space."

"Well, okay," the blonde murmured, frowning.

They stopped.

"This should be enough."

"So, can you finally tell me what you wanna try out?"

"Do you remember what was happening two, three years ago?" Sabi wondered as she turned to Niki, waiting for a nod, "I think this has something to do with it."

"Well, how?"

"A dinosaur is on that card, isn't it?"

Niki nodded again.

"That orange seems suspicious, but we should try to do something with that Stegosaurus," Sabi suggested.

"Well, what do you have on mind?" Niki was confused.

"This." Sabi took friend's hands, she held the stone plate in one and the grey card in the other and put them together.

A purple light shined and a beam formed into a real-life Stegosaurus. It roared, making the girls scream.

—

"Another signal appeared?"

"It's in the woods," Reese said.

Max grabbed the device, his communicator. He went on a platform and was ready to teleport.

—

"I was right," Sabi whispered.

"So, you knew this was going to happen and let me do it anyway?" Niki asked her quietly as they slowly backed away.

"I didn't know, I thought."

The Stegosaurus looked around and turned his attention to a small tree. He started to eat its leaves.

"Well, it seems it doesn't want to hurt us," Niki said, carefully approaching the dinosaur.

"Still be careful, its tail is dangerous," Sabi warmed her.

The Stegosaurus looked at the blonde, walking to her. She scaredly backed away, shaking. The dino titled his head. She stopped and looked him in the eyes. She reached her hand to him, touching him. He purred happily.

"Niki, this isn't a good idea."

"Well, he likes me. But do we do with him?"

"We must turn him back in the card, but how?"

The dino nuzzled Niki's hand where she held the stone plate, touching a button on it. The Stegosaurus changed into a card and fell to the ground. Niki picked it up.

"So, that's how!"

"The stars said that I as Leo would be unexpectedly surprised, but this is absurd."

—

Max pressed a button on the communicator, but he was standing still in the D-lab. The signal was gone again.

"This is weird," he said.

"How can be a dinosaur reappearing like that?" Justin wondered.

"Since Rex is back, it can probably be the Alpha Gang," Spike suggested.

"It is possible," Reese said and turned to them from the monitor, "but it cannot be the same dinosaur from before."

"How come?"

She turned back, typing something. Two maps appeared on the big screen; they were identical except for a red dot on each map on different places.

"The first one was in the south part of the city, near a school. This one was much closer to the D-lab, in the woods. There is no way to get here from there in this short amount of time."

"But that does not explain who is doing this," Justin told her, "t-they can cause chaos if they have no idea what they are doing."

"Don't worry; we'll stop them," Max reassured him.

—

Ema was waiting in front of the school for the limo to pick her. She had no idea she's going to get into the same situation as a few students from a school on the other side of Sanjo City and some of her classmates.

A brunette boy walked to her as he did every day. She looked back at him.

"Miharu, you know I can't hang out with you," she told him.

"We're best friends since we were little, Wada. Can't you just for once?" Michael asked. She shook her head. "Tsk! Since you're here in the city, you don't spend time with your friends outside of school. He doesn't let you out of the house!"

"My father's doing it for my good."

"That's what my dad used to tell me too."

"You can't compare them!" Ema snapped. The limo arrived, stopping near them.

"I know." Michael smiled at her, coming closer. They stared at each other for a while. Ema's cheeks turned pink.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are, Wada?" he wondered, grinning at her. She blushed more.

Michael leaned to her. Ema snapped out and stepped back. "Sorry, I have to go." She opened limo's door and waved at Michael. "Bye, Miharu."

"Bye." He waved back as the door closed, and the limo drove away.

He watched until he lost it from his sight. "Wada..." he murmured.

—

The limo parked at a big fancy house, Ema got out of the car, walking inside the house. When she opened the door, the mayor of Sanjo City was standing there, waiting for her.

"You are late," he told her.

"It was just one minute," she said, looking at the floor.

"Quit that tune and look at me when you're talking to me," he ordered her.

Ema looked up at him. "I am sorry, father."

He gave her a reproaching glare. "Were you with him?" he asked.

"Miharu is my friend."

"I'm not debating about that with you. I've told you not to meet with that boy."

"And Sue can meet with her friends?" Ema wondered.

"Your cousin can do whatever she wants because unlike you, she has no future. Go to your room."

"Yes, father." She obeyed, walking sadly away.

Her father walked to his office.

Ema's mother standing behind a door sighed.

"Why do you tolerate this?" her brother asked her.

"Reasoning with him is pointless," she told him.

"He can't treat Ema like that and what does he even mean by my daughter not having a future?!" he snapped.

"He's just like this..."

"You mean arrogant?"

She nodded.

Meanwhile, Ema went into her room, throwing her bag on the bed and getting all the jewels off her.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her hair already down.

"Why is he doing this?" she growled.

She was about to lie on the bed, but then she noticed stuff that fell out of her bag. A stone and cards?

She picked up the two cards; the grey one had a blue long-necked dinosaur on it, and the orange one seemed to have a water tornado of some kind.

Ema immediately realized what the dinosaur means. She remembered that one school trip very well.

She threw the cards back at the bed. The grey one touched a button on the stone and glowed in blue light.

Ema covered her eyes. She uncovered them when she heard a slight roar.

A small blue dinosaur with yellow spikes on its back was standing on her bed, looking at her.

"Father's gonna kill me," Ema murmured, "look, little guy, I can't have a pet. My father doesn't even let me have friends." She picked the dino up and opened a window. "You have to go."

It stepped to the window and looked at Ema.

"I'm sorry."

The dino nuzzled her.

"My father doesn't allow me to have a pet, even if it's a dinosaur."

It tilted its head.

"Are you wondering why I'm not surprised that there's a baby dino in my room?" Ema asked, chuckling, "I've seen some dinosaurs before in this city. Plus I think my classmates had a few themselves."

The dino called out, looking Ema in the eyes.

"...fine, but you have to be quiet and hide when somebody comes in. My father can't know about you, Ellen."

The dino nodded happily, jerking its tail at the name.

Ema smiled.

Ellen jumped off the window and lied on the bed, falling asleep.

—

The sun started to set when Sue headed home from the Drakes'. She thanked for everything, being much polite than she's to other people.

She walked all the way home to the fancy house, so far away from her best friend.

She thankfully avoided everyone in the house and got in her room.

She was still trying to process everything she heard. Time travel, dinosaurs in cards, all the secrets her best friend kept away from her.

She kept thinking about it so much that she hallucinated. A stone plate with a few cards was lying on her table.

No, they were real!

Sue looked at them, they all had a symbol of fire on them. She shooked a bit.

"Why the hell...?" she murmured. She let the plate and cards lie there.

—

It was dark outside when the Backland filled with people. It was landed in the woods, its stealth mode turned on.

A man with slick back dark hair in a dark-blue suit led the rest of the guardians to Spike and Reese. They already contacted Dr. Foster Owen.

The dark-haired man, Sora Shinori, brought everyone to them, Aki Taylor, Michael Miharu, Zakuro Shiraki-Shinori, Cruz Makuto, Phoebus Kato and Lucy Komatsu.

"You two seriously kept this thing?" Lucy wondered, looking around, coughing slightly. She referred to the time machine.

"It wasn't easy." Spike grinned at her.

"Boss sent me to watch over these two. It was the only way to prevent the government from taking the ship away," Sora explained and winked at Zakuro.

"Alright, why are we here?" Pheobus asked. He had light hair and green glowy eyes.

"Akuno, right?" Cruz said before anyone else could, "they're suddenly more active. Zepar sent Drack and Damita to the future. They brought the dinosaur cards and stone plates and-"

"-and I stole some of them and gave them to the respective owners," Dengyo, who just appeared, finished, "some of them didn't get their cards because they didn't exist at the point I took them. I can't come back to the Akuno to get them, Zepar would kill me."

"And I can't do it either," Cruz added, "she would make me leave the Akuno in the best case, we cannot afford that."

"Anyway, some of the owners don't seem responsible or worthy enough to me," Dengyo commented, "the owner of the ice crystal, for example, he's the only one not to get a stone plate. I also doubt that mayor girl, owner of the water crystal, she's..."

"What do you have against Wada?" Micheal snapped at him.

"She seems arrogant to me," Den replied as he walked over to Michael.

"Take that back! She's a great person!" The brunette glared at Den, gritting his teeth.

"Boys, stop that."

Cruz sighed and grabbed their shoulders, teleporting away with them.

"He's pretty stubborn," Zakuro commented.

"Anything against my nephew?" Lucy asked her.

"Yeah, he didn't have to burst out like that."

"And your son shouldn't judge people he doesn't know."

"Be quiet, Komatsu."

"Haven't anyone taught you how to respect older, Shiraki?"

"Lucy, I think you should calm it down a bit," Phoebus told her, stepping between them.

"Yeah, Phoeb is right," Sora joined, "there's no need to fight."

"Shut up or help me!" Zakuro snapped at her husband.

"I'm trying!"

"This is going better than I thought," Spike chuckled.

Cruz reappeared near them, ignoring the fight. "So, as I was saying. Drack also brought here an owner. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."

"Rex is...really here?" Dr. Owen wondered.

"Is he okay? Have you seen him?" Aki worried.

"He looked fine," Spike told her, "but..." He turned to Reese.

The scientist looked away. "He was in the D-lab. He locked me, Max and Justin, waiting for Zoe to show up; he wanted her crystal. He then hit her." After a gasp, she continued. "Cole got us out. I was so full of anger that I slapped Rex right when I saw him."

There was a silence for a while, except for the still going fight.

"I thought it wasn't him that it was just Akuno's trick, I wasn't rational, and I let my emotions control me. It won't happen again."

"Rex is now part of Akuno. He has his reason," Cruz said, "he should tell it to you himself."

"...and why did you need his crystal from me?" Foster asked him.

"To keep him alive. Despite Mary convincing Zepar about his usefulness, she probably wouldn't let him live without the crystal. But he lost it anyway. Zepar's furious, so, be careful. Owners aren't safe since now."

"By the way, what's that on your wrist?" Spike asked the boy, pointing at a bracelet with a hexagon plate. He knew he's seen it somewhere, but couldn't remember where.

"Oh, this?" Cruz looked at the bracelet, put a card to it. It changed into a little Allosaurus. "Zepar thought it would be a good idea if I have it."

—

Meanwhile, Sabi was at home, still awake, looking at the night sky through her telescope.

"That card...Those stones. What does that mean?" she asked herself, "if they're the reason why everything happened two years ago, why did someone activate them in the first place? To cause chaos?"

She shook her head.

"Why would anyone want that?"

She remembered how some dinosaurs appeared at the cost of the city or in the downtown park and stuff that happened afterward, the plants, that dark cloud. There was no confirmation it had something to do with the dinosaurs, but Sabi didn't doubt that.

She also noticed those three same people being there when something like that happened, her former classmates from the North School.

That was a mystery that Sabina Kon decided to solve, no matter what it takes.

—

Unlike in Japan, there was a bright day in America.

Foster Owen was sitting on the floor of the museum in silence. He wished so much to see his son once again, but he's never imagined it like this. A betrayal, how some would call it, from a close one turned a usually cheerful man into an insecure pile of sadness and worries.

"I've never seen you down like this," a boyish voice spoke up. Foster looked up, seeing Cruz. He stood up.

"Your reaction is accurate."

"Cruz, what happened?" he asked.

"First, I want you to know it isn't your fault, he's a great boy and mostly thanks to you. Second, he should tell you himself. He's doing it for someone who cares about; he would do the same for you."

"Isn't there are a way to change his mind," Foster wondered.

"I doubt that."

"He can get himself killed..."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Cruz assured him, "I'm a guardian, after all, I'm meant to protect the owners even if he isn't my own."

"Thank you, Cruz."

—

Back in Japan, Susan opened her eyes, frowning in annoyance. It was still dark outside. She sat up on her bed, looking in the darkness. Her eyes fell on the stone plate on her table.

"Oh, hell no..." she murmured sleepily and laid back down.

—

As they came back home Aki's body was shaking, she headed to the living room, sitting on the couch.

"Aki!" Spike held her. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, covering her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her.

"How could she...? How could that devil take him like that...!? She has no right to do this to him!"

"You're right."

"No one is safe... Why them? Why does anyone have to be involved in this? Dying just because she can kill them! How long will it take until some other guardian ends up like Komatsu?!"

"I'll become Cole's guardian if you're afraid."

She looked up at him. "...I'll...think about it...I don't want to put you in bigger danger..."

"I can't let you be in danger because of me."

"...it's not because of you..." she sobbed, "it's for our sons..."

He nodded, hugging her tightly.

—

The Akuno gathered in the throne room.

"Your majesty, I knew from the beginning that this boy is just trouble," Drack told the queen, "not that he didn't accomplish his mission, he also lost his crystal."

Zepar was silent.

"Shut up, Drack," Mary snapped at her brother, "he can still be useful. His friends don't want to fight him, at least that girl doesn't."

"Now that Dengyo betrayed us, we should focus on that," Kami suggested. She had the black cosmos stone around her neck again.

"Then we'll capture his mother and torture her!" Mary said happily.

Rex had goosebumps from that girl, but he couldn't get rid of her. Even now she was holding his arm tightly.

"No," Kami replied, "those signals that we caught today mean that he gave the stolen cards to the owners. We must find them."

"That isn't a bad idea," Drack admitted, "tomorrow."

Mary smirked. "I already have an idea! Hehe! They're not gonna like that!" she giggled.

—

Before her way home, a female figure walked in a dark room. There was a crystal in front of her. It had several dark colors, not just caused by almost no light in the room.

"What are you trying to accomplish by this?" she asked, "is it for fun? Is it for your enjoyment? They won't let you win. We won't let win. You know who you're dealing with."


	5. Meeting the Akuno

Next morning, Ema Wada, a girl with long wavy dark brown hair woke up, sitting up on the bed. She picked up her glasses from her nightstand and put them on. Then felt how something nuzzled her. She looked down at Ellen the Ampelosaurus.

As the mayor's firstborn got dressed, her cousin and brother woke up. An alarm clock started up in the next room.

Ema turned to Ellen. "Stay here for a moment," she told her. The dino only blinked. Ema went to cousin's room.

"Get up, Susan!"

"No!" Sue groaned into the pillow. Her cousin rolled her eyes and returned into her room.

"Now, what do we do with you?" she asked Ellen, "I can't leave you here. My father can't know about you. I can't take you to school either."

The Ampelosaurus was exploring the room, looking into Ema's bag.

"Or can I...?"

Ema looked at the bag.

—

On the other side of the city, Sabina Kon was on her way to school, still thinking. She hasn't found answers to her questions yet.

"I'd give anything to know more," she murmured to herself.

Suddenly a ginger girl appeared right in front of her from thin air. She had a tight purple costume and a pink cape. Sabi stopped immediately.

"You're desperate for answers, huh?" she asked her.

Sabi nodded. "Who are you?"

The ginger smirked, throwing her hair to the other side. "I'm amazing Mary! And I have answers to your questions."

"How do you know what I want to know?" Sabi wondered.

Mary showed her a card with a fire symbol on it. "Because I'm like you."

"Fine, I trust you."

"And are you seriously willing to give anything to get answers?"

Sabi nodded again.

Mary reached her hand to her. "Give me your hand."

Sabi hesitated, looking into her blue eyes. Then she noticed a pink symbol on the belly of her clothes, two half-moons connected.

She took her hand. Mary's smirk widened; Sabi was getting weaker. Everything in front of Sabi's eyes turned black, and Mary disappeared, laughing.

—

Later, a limo arrived at the school and Ema and her little brother, Otto, got out and headed inside the building. Ema walked upstairs to her classroom. Her bag started to move and roar.

"Shh... Ellen, calm down..." Ema whispered and opened her bag. The Ampelosaurus looked at her innocently.

"Please, try to be quiet; you'll get me into trouble." Ema closed the bag and went into the classroom.

A while later, Zoe, Amy, and Sue arrived at school as well. Once they were in the classroom, Sue patted on Zoe's shoulder.

"Can we talk alone, girl?" she asked; Zoe nodded. They walked in a corner. Amy glanced sadly away.

"Is something wrong?" Zoe wondered.

"When I came back home I found these lying on the table," Sue said and showed her a stone plate and cards with a symbol of fire.

"A Daspletosaurus..." Zoe murmured as she looked at one of the cards.

"How the hell could it get there?"

Zoe didn't respond; she remembered that guy who gave her and the others the stones yesterday. He was able to appear from nothing in the D-lab; getting into Sue's room wouldn't be a problem to him.

"Um, girl?"

"I'll show how it works after school, okay?"

Sue nodded. "If you say so."

—

On the other side of Sanjo City, Andrew Kato walked into the classroom, stopping in the door.

His classmate was holding a camera, recording him.

"Hey there, Spinoberg," Andy chuckled. Kenji Shinori, a boy with spiky blue hair and golden eyes, grinned at him.

"He's waiting like this since we came," Dengyo, Kenji's black-haired brother, said.

"This is how you make a great movie," Kenji told them.

"By recording everything that moves?" Andy wondered.

"Of course!" the blue-haired replied, "that's how Spinoberg made 'JuraJura Park'! He had his script, but then dinosaurs appeared, and he used the opportunity, recording every minute!"

Dengyo only chuckled.

"It's one of his best films! And I'll once be as good as him! I tell you that!" his brother cheered loudly, stepping on the desk. Everyone looked at him.

"Okay, you can calm down now, we get it," Den told him, pulling him down by the arm.

"Hey, where's Sabi anyway? She's always here as the first..." Andy just realized they're missing a girl part.

Kenji shrugged. "She might be sick."

"Well, I have a bad feeling..."

The lesson soon started.

—

A few hours later, the school in the north part of the city finished, the students headed home.

Sue grabbed Zoe's hand and nodded. Zoe looked at Amy.

"Um, Amy...?" the pink-haired started, but couldn't continue. She felt so bad about ditching her other best friend.

Sue took the situation in her hands. "Hey, we need to do something without you, so, you're gonna have to go home alone."

Amy looked sadly at her. "Okay..." She headed away.

"Amy, wait!"

"It's okay, Zoe..." Amy smiled weakly at her. "I understand..." She walked away.

Zoe glared at Sue. "You didn't have to be that strict."

"You've told me this stuff is secret, girl," Sue reminded her.

Zoe stayed silent as they walked to the park.

Amy held her tears back on her way home.

—

Meanwhile, Max, Cole, and Chomp entered the D-lab. Spike and Justin, who worked on his laptop, looked back at them, while Reese was working on new communicators.

"Hi."

"Hey there, guys! Something new?" Cole wondered.

"Alice and Kyra have stones and cards as well," Justin replied.

"Great!" Max said.

"That's not great!" Cole snapped, having goosebumps.

"What's wrong, Cole?" his father asked him.

"My ex-girlfriend is involved in this; that's wrong," Cole said unhappily, "it's already awkward that we're classmates and members of the music club! Not to mention that whole tour Kyra and I have gone to..."

"And what's the problem?" Max raised his eyebrows.

"Kyra is still mad," Reese told him.

"I don't get why," Cole murmured, "I did nothing wrong."

"Cole, you kissed a different girl when you and Kyra have been dating!"

"Uh?! Hold on, nerdy! She kissed me! And Kyra got mad at me immediately."

"Ugr... Don't call me that," the scientist groaned.

"Then if you don't wanna be in this awkward situation, Cole, you better be going," Spike told his oldest son, "Kyra's heading here."

"What?!" the teen yelled in surprise, walking to the exit.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of Cole's nose. Two sisters entered.

Cole stopped, staring into beautiful brown eyes of a pretty tall girl with blond and brunette hair, a purple scarf around her head, revealing top, bandages wrapped around her wrists.

They know each other for a long time, but after they broke up, their friendship almost shattered. The only thing keeping them somehow close is their love for music.

His eyes then fell to the curves of her body, his face turning red.

"Cole...?" She looked at him confusedly.

"I don't think she's mad because of that kiss," Spike said.

"Or that she is the one mad in the first place," Justin added as he noticed his younger older sister's glare. Alice punched Cole in the back because she couldn't reach his head.

"Ow! You didn't have to hit that hard, Picasso..." Cole groaned, holding his soaring back. Alice only glared at him.

Kyra blinked at the scene and focused on the scientist. She rushed to her.

"Ree!"

She hugged the blonde tightly.

"...hi, Kyra..." Reese murmured annoyedly.

Tashi the Pachycephalosaurus and Jessica the Corythosaurus were looking around the room. Tashi has seen the place before; it was two years since she was there in her chibi form for the first time.

Dr. Taylor noticed something different about her. "The light on Tashi's head is gone?"

"Yes, I also find it strange," Justin said, "sister claims she was like this when she found the card. The card seems modified, but how?"

—

Back in the South School, Andy and his classmates had their last lesson. Dengyo wrote the notes, Kenji drew a storyboard of his new film idea, and Andy got lost in the thoughts of Sabi.

Kenji noticed that his friend's dumb lovesick look, that he's murmuring Sabi's name. The blue-haired threw a paper ball at him, hitting his head.

"Ow..."

Andy glared at him. "What was that for?" he asked quietly.

Kenji grinned at him and whispered in reply, "To bring you back to Earth; you're so into her, man!" Andy blushed and looked back at his desk; there was Sabina's name all over it.

He sighed in annoyance; he'll have to clean it up.

Out of nowhere, the school building shook, as a bomb hit it and they heard a roar.

Everyone got up and ran to windows to see what's going on. They saw a dinosaur attacking the building.

"What the-"

"They're back!"

"Not this again!" they screamed.

"A Dilophosaurus!" Dengyo recognized the dino.

"This is so so cool!" Kenji cheered, filming everything

"But why? And how?" Andy wondered, "did someone else also get-Huh?"

He noticed a girl standing right behind the dino completely calm. He knew that brunette head.

"Sabi?" he whispered. He headed outside. Kenji noticed and ran after him with the camera.

—

"Alright, girl, show me," Sue said as she and Zoe got in the park.

Zoe nodded and took her stone plate from a box-like green device on her left wrist.

"The hell's that?"

"A communicator," Zoe replied, "Reese made a few of them. It makes using the stone easier. Look, you swipe the card across the stone like this." She ran Paris' card over the button on the stone upwards, summoning the little Parasaurolophus. Paris happily called out. Zoe put the stone back in her communicator.

"Fine..." Sue repeated, summoning a little purple Daspletosaurus. It looked at the girls; Zoe knelt to it.

"Hi there, do you remember me?" she asked. The Daspletosaurus titled its head and looked at Paris, wagging its tail.

—

Meanwhile, Ema was waiting in front of the school for the limo and decided to let Ellen run around for a while. Once the Ampelosaurus was out, she sniffed around and smelled another dinosaur near. She ran after the smell.

"Ellen, wait!" Ema stood there, watching her dino. She couldn't run after her; her father would be furious. But her new friend is now all alone in the world she doesn't know.

She followed her.

—

The Ampelosaurus rushed to a Parasaurolophus and Daspletosaurus.

"Where the hell did this one come from?" Sue questioned.

"Ellen!" Ema ran to them, panting. "There you are..."

"Cousin?!"

"Ema? You got yourself an Ampelosaurus?" Zoe wondered.

"Yeah, but I'm not the only one," Ema answered, "how did you get them?"

"That's none of your business," Sue snapped. The Daspletosaurus growled at her.

"Who are you?" Ema's eyes fell on a guy who walked toward them. The others turned to him, an older boy with black hair, eyes and a coat.

"Finally somebody polite," he said, "they call me Drack."

"Drack?"

—

A beeping sounded through the D-lab.

"A dinosaur?" Kyra wondered.

"It's in our city," Reese said, turning to everyone, as the map appeared on the big monitor.

Max nodded and went on the platform with Chomp. "I hope it works this time." He pressed one of the buttons and teleported in bright light.

"I wanna go too!" Kyra spoke up.

"You need a communicator," Justin told her, "you must wait until they are finished."

"Hmph!"

—

Max and Chomp appeared in the city. People ran away from the dinosaur that was attacking the school.

Dengyo who was still inside with his classroom noticed him. He walked away from everyone's watch and disappeared.

Max stood there, shocked. There was a girl behind the Dilophosaurus; he knew her. She was his former classmate. He was about to go to her and stop her, but somebody formed in front of him. It was a boy with long black hair, the same boy that gave them the stones and cards.

"You?"

"This is what the Akuno does to people," the boy said.

"The Akuno made her do this?" Max wondered, "how do you know that?"

"Look at her."

Max did so, noticing a black symbol on her cheek, two half-moons connected.

"That's the symbol of Akuno; she's under their control. You have to save her."

"You aren't going to help me."

The boy shook his head. "I can't. I must hide from them for a while, but one day you can count on me," he said, turning his back to him, "and by the way, nobody has ever snapped out off Akuno's control like that."

"Then how am I supposed to do that?" Max asked as the boy walked away from him and turned into smoke.

Max looked at his partner. "Alright, Chomp, let's do this!" They headed to the building,

Andy and Kenji ran down the stairs and outside the school, facing the Dilophosaurus.

"This is awesome!" Kenji gasped as he recorded the dino.

"Sabi, stop that!" Andy yelled. She didn't respond.

"It won't work," Max told him, "they're controlling her."

"Controlling her? Who's doing that?"

"Just get out of here, it's dangerous."

"No way! I'm not leaving Sabi!" Andy snapped.

"You can't save her," Sabi laughed with a completely different voice, "she's under my control; this body is now MINE! And the Dilophosaurus as well. Deal with it."

—

Niki just got home and was about to go for a walk with her Stegosaurus when she heard a female voice from the TV say: "Dinosaurs started to appear again. Another dinosaur is right now attacking the South School, endangering hundreds of students."

That was enough to encourage Niki. She ran outside, heading to the dinosaur.

—

Andy stepped closer. Sabi could see him properly.

"Phoeb...?" she whispered. Andy looked so much like his father. The Akuno member was staring at him, almost certain that this boy before her is Phoebus Kato.

Kenji followed his friend, catching Sabina's eye as well. His golden eyes were the same as Sora's, his father's.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Andrew Kato! And I won't let you take Sabi's body!"

"The name's Kenji Shinori. I'm here to record this."

Andy hit his shoulder lightly. "Ow! Yeah, and to save Sabi too."

She then looked at Max.

"My name is Max Taylor."

"Max Taylor...?" Sabi repeated quietly, "so, that's you..."

She glared. "Dilophosaurus, we have a new target!" The dinosaur stopped destroying the school and headed towards the boys.

Max changed Chomp into a card and swiped. "Go, Triceratops! Roar!"

A fully grown up Triceratops appeared in front of them, making the enemy stop. The sky changed colors.

"Woah! What is going on with the sky?" Andy stared surprisedly.

"YEEEEEEEAAAAS!" Kenji squeaked, running around Chomp and recording him. "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! THIS TRICERATOPS IS FROM 'JURAJURA PARK'!"

"Hey, this isn't the best time," Max told him and looked at Andy, "get him out of there. He can get hurt."

"Ken, I think he's right!" Andy called at his friend, "this is a bad idea."

"Huh?" Kenji turned back.

The Dilophosaurus rushed at him.

"Chomp, stop her!" Max ordered. Chomp rammed into the Dilophosaurus, throwing her away.

"So cool!" Kenji kept recording.

"I don't think that Chomp and I can save Sabina and protect him at the same time," Max said.

"We can!" Andy told him. The brunette looked at him in confusion.

Andrew took out his stone and card, summoning his Coelophysis. "Let's show them, Aaron!"

Max stared at the new dino in the battle. "How?"

"Aaron, I need you and the Triceratops to beat that dinosaur up!"

The Coelophysis seemed to grin before charging at the Dilophosaurus.

"And now Sabi."

Andy rushed to Sabina.

—

Back in the park, the girls were talking to the stranger.

"Drack?"

"Yes. I'm a servant of the Akuno." He nodded.

"The hell you want?" Sue snapped at him.

"Your help," he replied calmly, walking over to Zoe. She changed Paris into a card, ready to call her out in her battle form.

"What's wrong, Zoe?" he asked her.

"H-how do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you. I know that you want to help Rex. I know how."

"R-really?"

"Girl, why would you believe him?" Sue wondered.

Drack stopped in front of Zoe, stroking her cheek.

"Really."

"I recommend you to stay away from her," the posh girl told him.

"Ignore them," he growled. He stared into Zoe's eyes. She shook slightly.

Suddenly, Sue pushed him away from her best friend. "Get the hell away!"

Drack glared at her. "I didn't mean to do that." He put out a card.

"Do it the bad way, Megaraptor." The card turned into a light blue light, a green Megaraptor appearing in front of him.

"A Megaraptor?"

"He has a dinosaur too?! What the hell?!

"Get them, Mahin," Drack ordered the Megaraptor.

Zoe was about to summon Paris, but when she looked at her wrist, her communicator and Paris' card were gone.

"Looking for this?" Drack asked her. She looked up at him and saw him holding both. Her eyes widened. Paris was in the hold of someone else, someone like him.

Drack pressed a few buttons on the communicator.

—

As the work on the new communicators went on, the D-lab received a call from one of the functioning ones.

Justin answered, playing the video call on the big monitor. Everyone was in shock to see the black-haired boy talking to them. "Audience always makes these fun."

"Who is that?" Kyra wondered.

Justin looked back at her. "I do not know, but the call is from Zoe's communicator. And a dinosaur signal is there as well."

Dr. Taylor and Reese looked at each other.

"We should have warned them," he whispered; she turned away, stopping her work. He was right, but she didn't want to admit that.

"Hey, Four-eyes!" Cole yelled at the brunette boy, scaring him a bit.

"W-what is it...? What have I done this time?" Justin murmured.

"We'll go to help Zoe," Cole said, "since you and I can't teleport we'll get there on my scooter."

"But why me?" Justin glared nervously at his underclassman.

"Because I say so!"

The young boy looked at one of his sisters. Alice smiled at him.

"What do you mean I should go, sister?" Justin squeaked.

"Go," Reese told him.

"Huh?" He stood there in silence and then nodded, leaving the lab with Cole.

The others watched the scene in the park silently.

—

"What are you going to without your little friend?" Drack wondered.

Zoe could only glare at him.

"Mahin, attack them."

The Megaraptor growled. Sue immediately pulled Zoe as far away as possible. The dinosaur turned his attention to the closest person to him, Ema Wada.

Ellen the Ampelosaurus stepped in front of her, trying to protect her.

Drack chuckled darkly. "Such a shrimp against a full-grown up dino? Don't underestimate us."

—

"Don't waste my time you two," Sabi said, "Atomic Bomb!" She took out an orange card. It glowed in the gray light, and the Dilophosaurus did as well.

The dinosaur jumped high and started to fall quickly.

"Lightning Strike!" Max swiped the orange card. Chomp shot lightning at the Dilophosaurus, slowing the bomb down.

"What?!" Sabi's dark eyes widened.

"That was amazing! How did you do that?" Andy asked Max.

"It's Chomp's move. I just swiped the card."

Andy looked at his orange card and then repeated Max's actions. "Kamikaze Tackle!"

Aaron threw the Dilophosaurus in the air. When she was falling, he charged forward and slammed her in the back. She hit one of the buildings, changing back into a card.

"Great job, Aaron!"

"What the..."

Andy rushed to Sabi.

"You screwed everything up!" she yelled at him. It wasn't her voice. A knife materialized in her hand. He didn't care; he only cared about her.

She tried to stab him, but he made a few steps back. She raised her hand and then a blonde jumped at her back, trying to push her.

"What-"

"Whoever you are, stop possessing my friend!" the blonde yelled. Her Stegosaurus only growled.

"Niki?"

Sabi shook her off. Niki fell on her back.

"You can't stop me!"

As he kept recording everything, Kenji remembered one of his favorite movie cliches.

"Andy! Kiss her! True love always wins!"

Andy took Sabina's hand, pulling her closer. She stared at him angrily. He kissed her sweetly.

—

"Ema, run away!" Zoe shouted at her, but the rich girl didn't move a muscle.

The Megaraptor roared at her; his jaws were so close to her. She stared right into his eyes.

She couldn't...She couldn't do anything.

Ema closed her eyes shut.

Suddenly someone knocked her down, and a male voice yelled at the dinosaur. Ema heard it walking away.

She was laying on the cold ground. There were horrified screams all over the place.

"Are...Are you alright?"

Ema opened her eyes. The first things she saw were eyes hidden behind glasses, pretty brown eyes. She knew them; the Komatsu twins have the same eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

His face turned red. He unsurely stuttered. "J...J-J-J...Jus..."

Then there was a loud dinosaur roar. Ema's eyes widened. She pushed the boy off her and quickly got up. People ran away, screaming.

She, the boy who saved her, Zoe, Sue, and another boy she knew as the superstar Taylor grouped.

"Any ideas?" she wondered. Sue shook her head.

"I-I'm J-Justin!" the boy suddenly said, making others chuckle.

"Oh uh, someone's a bit nervous!" the other boy laughed, "I'm Cole, by the way."

"Ema Wada. There's no time for introductions. How are we going to stop him?"

"There's nothing I can do without Paris," Zoe said disappointedly and looked at Ema and Sue, "but you can."

"Wait, what?" Sue murmured.

"Call out your dinosaurs in full form. Swipe the cards the other way."

Sue frowned, looking at her stone plate.

Meanwhile, Ema turned Ellen into a card and then summoned her in battle mode. The Ampelosaurus landed in front of the group.

The Megaraptor looked at her, rushing toward her and jumping on her neck.

Ellen roared in agony as Mahin bit her neck. She shook him quickly off. He hit the spikes on the Ampelosaurus' back. He then fell to the ground; she stomped on him repeatedly.

—

Andy took Sabina's hand, pulling her closer. She stared at him angrily. He kissed her sweetly.

Her eyes widened. He pulled her closer.

After a while, he pulled away for air; he looked her in the eyes and grinned.

She blinked a few times; the black symbol on her cheek disappeared. She fell into his arms. He held her tightly.

"Sabi! Are you alright?"

"...um...A...Andy...?"

"Yeah, it's me!" He smiled at her.

Smoke came out of Sabi's back, materializing into a ginger girl with the knife in her hand. She was furious.

Sabi looked at her. "You liar..."

"You shouldn't trust strangers," she told her with a smirk on her face.

"So, who are you?" Niki asked as she sat up.

"I am the one and only amazing Mary! The servant of darkness and soon also its princess!"

"You're insane..." Sabi growled.

"And you destroyed my plan!" Mary glared at Andy. "I'll make you pay for that!"

She was about to stab the two in front of her. Andy cuddled Sabi tighter.

Suddenly a smoke formed into a small figure, stopping the knife.

It was stabbed into a young girl's chest. She had long black locks of hair, pale skin, bloody red eyes, a scar across her right eye and a suspicious pouch around her neck.

"You little bitch!" Mary yelled at her, "how did you manage to get out?!"

"...I won't let you...hurt anyone..." the girl murmured.

Kenji pointed his camera at her. She was cute in his eyes.

Mary glared at the girl and noticed the pouch. "What do we have here?" She pulled the knife from girl's chest, cutting a string the pouch was attached to.

"...no..." the girl whispered before falling to the ground, bleeding.

Sabi knelt to her, cheaply treating her wound. "Are you okay?" she asked. The girl looked up at Mary who opened the pouch.

"Then that's where the dinosaur cards went," she said, glancing at the girl, "you won't get away with this."

Then, Max grabbed the pouch.

"What the-" Mary still held it tightly.

"I won't let you take them," Max told her.

"Tch. I've heard of you from Rexy. You're a bit stubborn."

Some dark matter surrounded the pouch.

"No way!" Max's hand and the pouch started to glow in yellow light. Mary's eyes widened.

"That's impossible..."

Suddenly the pouch burst, tearing apart. The cards inside flew to different directions, soon disappearing from the view.

"What have you... What have you done?!" Mary yelled at him, pointing the knife at him.

Before she could do anything, Chomp stepped behind his partner, stopping the ginger. Aaron did the same.

Mary gritted her teeth and vanished in smoke.

"Are you feeling any better?" Sabi asked the dark-haired girl. She just looked up at her. "Lo Siento..." she whispered before disappearing the same way Mary did.

"Well, what just happened?" Niki wondered.

Max frowned nervously, but the truth was that he didn't know himself. Who were those girls? What actually is the Akno? And how can they stop them?

Andy changed Aaron back into his chibi form. Max then repeated the boy's action with Chomp.

The little Coelophysis ran for Dilophosaurus' card and brought it the group, jumping in Andy's arms.

Sabi silently looked at the card. "I'm sorry for this mess," she apologized, "I shouldn't have been so stupid."

"It's okay, Sabi!" Andy grinned at her.

"Well, yeah," Niki joined, "you're back to yourself and that's important."

Max realized that his communicator is still beeping, but all the dinosaurs here were gone.

"Hey! You!" Kenji called at him, pointing his camera at him, "do you have something to say to this?"

Max blushed. "Um...Only that I really need to go now. Sorry," he said as he vanished in bright light.


	6. I don't want to do this anymore

**Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

As the Megaraptor and Ampelosaurus kept fighting, Drack turned to the group. "Now to deal with you." He took Paris' card.

"Don't you dare..." Zoe murmured horrifiedly.

He grinned evilly and summoned the Parasaurolophus. Once the dinosaur appeared, she growled. Her eyes were dark.

"Paris?" Zoe walked over to her partner slowly.

"Idiot," Drack said, "get her." As he said that Paris rushed towards Zoe, ramming into her.

"Paris... What's wrong...?" Zoe whispered, tearing up. She stood up like it was nothing. The Parasaurolophus turned back to her, rushing at her again. She knocked her down again.

—

Max and Chomp were back in the D-lab.

"Where is the dinosaur?" he asked. He paused when he noticed the silence from the others. The only sound was from the monitor. Everyone was almost hypnotized. He turned to it and his eyes widened.

"Teleport me!" he snapped at the others.

Reese finally looked away from the monitor. She set up the coordinates. Max and Chomp teleported.

—

"Girl!" Sue shouted and ran to her best friend, hugging her. "Girl, are you okay? Girl?"

"Yeah..." Zoe replied.

"Not for long," Drack chuckled. A move card in his hand glowed and Metal Wing's Pteranodons were summoned. Their eyes were dark as well. They flew at the girls.

Zoe looked up at them. She gasped and pushed Sue away from her.

The bright light appeared, Max and Chomp were on the battlefield. His eyes fell on Zoe.

She was on her knees, hurt.

The Pteranodons were heading at her.

They're going to attack her!

"Zoe!"

*Bam!*

The first one hit her.

She bit her lip.

*Bam!*

The second one hit her.

Everyone just stared.

*Bam!*

She got the final blow. She screamed loudly in pain.

"ZOE!"

—

Kyra gasped, covering her mouth.

Reese's body froze. Her eyes were locked on the monitor.

—

Zoe fell to the ground, her body soring.

"One more time," Drack ordered. Paris glared at Zoe again, ready to attack. She rushed to her friend angrily.

"Paris is under his control," Max realized, "alright, Chomp. We...we must stop Paris." He changed Chomp into a card. "Go, Triceratops! Roar!"

The Triceratops appeared and rammed into the Parasaurolophus, knocking her down.

Zoe looked up. "Paris...no..." She hardly got up.

"Alright, Chomp. I don't want to do this either, but we have to turn Paris back into a card..."

Chomp stomped on Paris, tears in his eyes.

"Stop it..." Zoe demanded quietly.

Meanwhile, Sue's Daspletosarus growled at Drack. He was too focused on his triumph over the D-team that he didn't care about the dino. The Daspletosaurus jumped on him and bit his wrist, making him drop Zoe's communicator.

"You little-" The dino grabbed the communicator in her mouth and rushed away.

Paris kicked Chomp away and got to her feet.

"Let's end this, Chomp!" Max put out a move card. Zoe noticed; she can't allow that!

Max swiped the card of Lightning Strike.

Chomp shot lightning at the Parasaurolophus, but when the attack was about to hit her, Zoe ran in the way.

*Zap!*

They both got hit, painful scream and roar echoing around.

Max gasped, his face turned white.

Paris and the Pteranodons turned back into their cards and Zoe fell to the ground again, a bit of blood streaming from her mouth.

"Girl!" Sue rushed to her. Max was speechless.

As this mess went on Ema and her Ampelosaurus Ellen defeated the Megaraptor. Drack picked his card up and disappeared in smoke.

Sue helped Zoe to stand up.

"Z-Zoe..." Max forced himself to speak up, "I'm-" "Shut up! Everyone, leave me alone!" Zoe snapped, pushing Sue away from her.

"The hell, girl...? I'm trying to help you."

"I said leave me alone!" Zoe yelled. She headed away, ignoring everyone around. There was a trace of blood behind her.

—

Everyone in the D-lab was in shock from what they just witnessed.

Reese immediately got up and ran outside.

"Ree!" Kyra followed her.

—

Zoe made slow steps to her home, her body soring. She went into the house and stopped. Her breath got heavy. She couldn't move. She heard a gasp; her mother, Rosie, rushed to her worriedly.

"Zoe! What happened?"

Her daughter wanted to reply, but as she opened her mouth she coughed. Blood was streaming from her mouth.

"Zoe!"

She fell to her knees, coughing out blood. Rosie panicked, holding her youngest daughter. "...Zoe...Mike, help!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

—

Reese drove her car back home as fast as she could; it was a miracle she didn't cause any accidents.

"Ree, please, slow down!" Kyra demanded nervously, "you're going to hit someone!" But everything on scientist's mind was her little sister; she witnessed Zoe being attacked by her own dinosaur and move card and then technically hit by lightning.

After a while, she stopped the car at the house and was about to get out when Kyra grabbed her arm. "I know you're worried, but-"

Reese ignored her and rushed inside the house. She completely froze. Her little sister was sitting on her floor, coughing out blood. Her parents were taking care of her. Reese's face turned almost green.

"...Zo..." She covered mouth, she felt like throwing up.

Blood... There was so much blood...

She felt like her body's losing strength. She started to fall down, her eyes closing.

"Reese-!"

—

It was almost an hour after the battle when Cole knocked on the door of his brother's room.

"Hey, Kid." He waited for minutes, but there was no answer.

Once Max heard his voice, he went on the balcony. Zoe's scream still sounded in his mind, haunting him.

He jumped off the balcony. Chomp followed him. He caught his Triceratops and ran away; he had to see her. That's the only thing he can do right now. Tears were running down his cheeks.

—

All she saw was red. She felt dizzy and sick. Reese quickly opened her eyes, got up from the bed she was lying in. She was in her room.

"Ree? Are you-" Kyra wanted to ask, but Reese rushed to the bathroom, kneeling beside the toilet. Kyra followed her and held her friend's hair from her face as the researcher vomited.

Kyra rubbed her back. "It's okay, Ree..."

She stopped throwing up after a while. She stood up. "...where...where is...Zoe...?"

"Don't worry, Ree," Kyra tried to assure her, "she's in the hospital with your parents." Reese sighed in relief. "Are you feeling any better?" Kyra wondered the only reply was head shaking. "Alright. I'll take care of you."

Kyra helped Reese downstairs. She sat her down on the couch.

"Do you need anything?" Kyra asked.

"No," Reese replied coldly.

Kyra frowned and knelt in front of her friend, taking her hands. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure Zoe will be fine." But Reese didn't seem worried at all. She had a stone face; only thing readable from it was that she feels dizzy. She was pale and shivering, mostly because of her fear of blood.

"Could you bring me a glass of water?" the scientist asked. "Of course!" Kyra ran in the kitchen.

Then the doorbell rang. Reese got up and went to open. Her blood started to boil as the brunette boy bowed, trying to apologize. She didn't let him.

"What do you want here, Max?" she growled.

"Is Zoe home?" he asked, looking at her innocently.

"No."

He bit his lip. Reese's cold act didn't make him feel better.

"Just get out of here."

"Yeah..." he agreed, "I guess that's...for the best..."

Reese closed the door. She noticed that Kyra was standing next to her with the glass of water. "You should rest, Ree." They went to sit back on the couch. Kyra put the glass on the table. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome!" Kyra smiled. "Ree, I know how you feel," she said as she took off the bandages from her wrists, "I see him all the time... I'm scared and insane-" Reese took her hands, shaking her head. There were deep scars on Kyra's wrists.

"Don't."

Kyra looked up at her.

"I'll never do something like this," she reassured her as she covered friend's scars with bandages again, "go home now."

"But-"

"I'll be fine, Kyra."

—

In the underground base of the Akuno, everyone was gathered in the throne room.

 **"Perfect. The D-team is shattered. Heh, it was easier than I thought. Great job, Drack,"** the queen praised her servant.

Rex bit his lip as he heard that. One of his friends was hurt because of him.

Drack bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."

"But, your majesty, I did well too," Mary spoke up. That made Zepar rolled her eyes, she didn't even want to see that ginger failure. She chuckled evilly. **"You? Don't remind yourself to me!"**

"...Your majesty, all of that is _her_ fault!" Mary pointed at their prisoner. The pale girl was hiding in the corner, her wound treated. "She tried to steal the cards and then that boy caused them all to just burst away or something!"

Zepar's eyes fell on the girl. **"We'll figure out a suitable punishment for her."** She turned her attention to Mary again. **"But you've lost our cards as well. Those other brats are more powerful now, ONLY BECAUSE OF YOU!"**

"I-I am sorry, your majesty..." Mary shock and bowed.

—

It was almost dark outside when Reese heard the doorbell ring again. She opened the door and saw a brunette girl with glasses.

"Reese! Is girl-"

"She's in the hospital," she immediately replied.

Sue gasped slightly. "Do you know how is she?"

"No..." Reese shook her head.

Sue looked down. "Hey, can you give her this?" She handed Reese Zoe's communicator, move card and Paris' card.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Bye."

Sue walked away. Reese watched her back. It was so strange to see Susan Ogata like this; she didn't even say 'hell' this time.

"Sue, wait!" The brunette looked back. "Do you need a ride home?" Reese asked her. Sue grinned. "That would be handy!"

—

Max and Chomp were strolling through the city, the battle still replaying in their heads.

They stopped at Komatsus' house.

Justin opened the door once he rang. "M-Max?"

"Hi..."

"You should be at home; it is very late."

"I can't...I don't know what to do..." Max murmured. "Is it due to what happened in the park?" Justin wondered. Max only nodded sadly.

Justin frowned. "I am not the best person to advise you. All I can tell you is I know you did not do it on purpose. You tried to help Zoe. Go home and do not think about it."

"Okay... Thank you." Max started walking away. He looked back and smiled. "You maybe aren't good at advice, but you helped me. You're a good friend, Jus."

Justin's cheeks were a bit red. "You are welcome."

—

Sue got out of Reese's car. "Thanks, Little Genius!" She grinned

"No problem."

Reese drove away.

Sue gladly accepted her offer since she lives a long way from the Drakes. She's expecting her uncle not to be happy, but she didn't care especially now.

She went in and was welcomed by that reproaching glare.

"Ema came home late because of you," he told her.

"How the hell's that my fault?" she snapped.

"You've always been a troublesome child."

"You just wanna blame someone and I'm the best target. I get it. Look, I don't give a damn! My best friend's in the hospital, so that's all I care about right now! Just get out of my way." She pushed her uncle away and walked into her room.

—

As the servants of Akuno headed into their rooms, Rex grabbed Drack's shirt and pinned him to the wall.

"How dare you hurt her like that?!" he yelled, tears running down his face, "she could have died!"

Drack grinned. "That was the purpose."

"What...?" Rex's eyes widened.

"What were you thinking? That we're good guys living underground because we want to? Don't be naive. We're just human trash, leftovers! People hated by life itself. There's no reason for us to be good. And you're one of us. Get used to it."

Rex loosened his grip and made slow steps to his room.

—

Max and Chomp soon came back home, wet from the starting rain; it was already dark outside. Immediately after opening the door, his mother hugged him.

"T-there you are!" she sobbed with a shaky voice.

"Kid, what the heck? You just disappeared! What was that supposed to mean?" Cole snapped at his little brother.

"Cole, leave him alone," his father told him, "go to bed, both of you."

—

Reese, wet from the rain, walked in the living room, seeing her parents. "How is she?" she asked.

"Fine for the injuries she has," Mike told her.

She sighed in slight relief and walked over to the window, staring into the raining darkness.

"How do you feel?" Rosie wondered.

"A little bit better. I'm sorry if I made you worried that I wasn't here. I drove Susan home." Reese held the communicator and the cards tighter.

—

Aki turned to her husband. "What happened?"

He looked surprised at first, then he glanced away from her. He knew how much it would scare her, just a thought of it breaks his heart.

But she's going to find out eventually. His lips were sealed, but the words still sounded through the room. "Zoe was attacked."

Spike heard a fearful gasp. He turned to Aki. "Attacked...?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, by a dinosaur."

—

"I knew all of that fighting was a bad idea from the start," Rosie said. Mike took her hand.

"...Depends on who is the enemy." Reese turned to them and continued. "Zoe was attacked by Paris. She knocked her down several times, followed by the Metal Wing."

After seeing their shock expressions, she glanced away.

—

"That isn't the worst part," Spike mumbled, "Chomp gave her the final blow."

Aki was horrified by those words. He hugged her, rubbing her back.

"He didn't mean to. He and Max tried to turn Paris into a card, but Zoe ran into the attack."

He heard sobbing. "Go to sleep. I'll catch up with you."

She nodded and headed upstairs.

—

"I know it was an accident, but I'm still mad at him..." Reese kept looking out of the window. "He was left with no other choice; Paris was controlled..." She became completely silent for a while. She was sure that saying that name will only make things worse, but they must know the truth.

"She was controlled by _Drack_..."

"He caused it?!" Mike snapped. He was absolutely furious. Reese has never seen him like that.

"I should have known he'll try something like that!"

Rosie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, calming him down a little.

—

As Zepar said, they managed to shatter the D-team, every part of it, not just by the whole incident but also by Rex's decision to join the Akuno.

The same feeling of betrayal kept filling Foster Owen for hours, almost a day.

He was standing at the place that changed his life. Right there, under a sauropod skeleton, he found his son.

He couldn't believe that little boy he raised joined the dark side.

—

"He stole Zoe's communicator and contacted the D-lab, so we could see everything that went on," Reese explained, "we only watched... I've made some changes to the teleporter, so it doesn't require a stone plate and a dinosaur. It still has some bugs, but I could have sent Alice and Kyra there and maybe..."

—

Aki entered the bedroom, holding a dark-grey crystal, her hands shaking. She opened a drawer and put the crystal inside.

—

Rex closed the door of his new room, falling on the bed.

—

Max sat on his bed, crying. He hid his face in his hands.

—

Foster fell to his knees, taking off his hat, holding it tight in anger.

—

Zoe woke up in the hospital, confusedly looking around. Tears started to run down her cheeks when she realized what happened.

—

"I don't want to do this anymore," all six of them said as one.

—

"You can't give up like this, Reese," Rosie tried to encourage her daughter.

"I don't have a choice," the scientist replied.

"There's always a choice," her father told her.

Her fist shook.

—

Everyone gave up...

The D-team is shattered...

There's no one left to fight...

"When everybody else gives up, a hero must rise..." Spike whispered. The kids always fought until the end, but now it's his move.

He phoned Sora Shinori and then contacted Cruz Makuto.

Not long after, he and Sora were on board of the Backland. Sora was important as a part of the government that allowed them to keep the time machine. He must report everything that happens there.

As for Cruz, he appeared after a while with a strange hexagon plate and a dinosaur card with a move card.

"What are you planning?" he asked the paleontologist before giving him the stuff.

"I wanna ask the same," Sora murmured, "Zakuro and I were about to-"

"Zepar succeeded," Spike said.

"I know," Cruz replied, "does this mean you want to fight her?"

"Somebody must stop the Akuno. I can't just sit here and watch them hurt people I care about. I won't give up."


	7. A New Team

The next day, it was still raining. The Drakes were about to head to the hospital when once again the doorbell rang. Reese went to open the door and Kyra's bright smile greeted her despite her being soaked with water.

"Kyra? Shouldn't you be at school by now?" Reese asked her.

"And shouldn't you be at work?"

"You've got a point there," she admitted. But Kyra was right; she was supposed to be at the D-lab right now but didn't care. Zoe was more important than anything, not just at the moment.

"Are you feeling better?" Kyra wondered.

"A little... Is that everything you wanted?"

"Yeah, actually. I just wanted to see you." She took the scientist's hands. Reese blushed and stepped back. "Go to school, Kyra."

The teen frowned sadly.

"Please."

"O-okay... Bye for now."

Kyra walked away.

Soon the family was in the hospital, entering Zoe's room.

The pink-haired was awake, smiling at them. Her hair was unusually down and the ends were burned, almost black.

"...h-hi..."

"Hi, Zoe. How are you?" Rosie asked her, kissing her forehead.

"...fine... I'm feeling better..."

Mike noticed some flowers in a vase on a side table. "Someone's visited you?"

Zoe nodded. "Sue and Amy were here early in the morning... I had to lie to Amy about what happened..."

"You look surprisingly great after what you've been through," Reese admitted.

Zoe turned to her. "You saw it...?" Reese unsurely nodded. "Through your communicator..." She looked at the green device in her hand and gave it to her little sister with Paris' card. Zoe summoned the little Parasaurolophus.

Paris glared scaredly at Zoe, turning away, tears filling her eyes. "Paris...It wasn't your fault..." Zoe stroked her head. Paris purred, looking at Zoe apologetically. "I forgive you."

—

In the South School, Andy, Kenji, and Sabi tried their best to focus on the lessons, but they were lost in their own thoughts.

Kenji was rewatching the whole battle he recorded yesterday.

Andy was writing Sabina's name all over his desk again. She was the only thing on his mind. Who knows, maybe that kiss made her realize how he actually feels about her?

But he was wrong, Sabi kept thinking more about that black-haired girl that saved her life. Who is she? Why did she risk her life like that?

—

The thoughts of yesterday events kept worrying people even on the other side of the city.

Sue and Amy weren't too worried, knowing that Zoe's fine. But Max was different. The whole day he was just sitting there, looking out of the window, trying not to cry. Ema was surprised to see him there.

Niki wanted to talk to him about the battle with Sabi, but he wasn't responding.

—

Their upperclassman, Cole, seemed a little depressed as well. His whole family reacted to the incident as it was a tragedy; he took it more lightly not to make his classmates ask.

Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door and opened. It was Kyra. "Good morning. I-I'm very sorry that I'm late...I..." the girl stopped her speech. Cole figured she's making up a lie. "I was helping in the nurse's office."

She went to sit at her desk.

Cole turned to her, whispering: "You visited Zoe?"

She shook her head. "I went to see Ree. She was so panicked yesterday."

"I see..."

—

Justin entered the D-lab and froze in surprise; no one was there.

No wonder after what happened...

The loneliness scared him.

The others gave up...

He shivered. A part of him wanted to just work, but the other part was afraid of breaking something.

He turned around and was about to leave. Then he heard a voice: "You aren't a screw-up!"

Justin looked back. No one was there. Was that a hallucination?

He looked at the empty D-lab in silence.

He adjusted his glasses and started to think: _"What would Reese do in this situation?"_

Well, if it wasn't about Zoe and everyone else would just give up, she wouldn't!

He won't give up; he made a promise.

Justin rushed to the computer, turning it on and finding the blueprints for communicators.

—

Soon the Drakes left Zoe's room with much smaller worries they brought, leaving Paris with her partner. Of course, nothing was solved by that. Zoe was okay, but that didn't calm Reese's anger towards Max or herself.

Right outside the room, there were two people talking, a doctor with dirty blond hair and a pregnant black-haired woman with her right eye red and the left one black.

He turned to the family. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Dr. King."

"Great to see you again. Well, as you could see for yourselves Zoe is okay. I'm sure she'll be able to go home next week."

"You're really lucky," the black-haired woman said, "Matt here is the second best doc in the city." She made the man blush.

"Let me guess, the first one is you," Reese told her with a slight smirk. She actually knew the woman. She taught Kyra to be a good nurse and she used to be a guardian as well.

"Maybe...?" The woman smiled. "She is in good hands for sure."

"We thank you for everything, Dr. King and..." Mike stopped when looked at the woman.

"Doctor Wendy Makuto," she introduced herself, "there's really nothing to thank for. I did nothing... It was all Matt."

"But still thank you."

—

Reese immediately headed to her room with Zoe's communicator, plugging it to her computer. One of the features of the communicators is that any call stays recorded for 24 hours from both sides. It took her until now to encourage herself to rewatch it.

—

In the afternoon, Andy, Kenji, and Sabi were walking home, talking. Two of them summoned their dinosaurs in chibi forms. Aaron the Coelophysis was holding Andy's shoulder, while Star, Sabi's Dilophosaurus, was walking by her new partner's side.

"You both wanna find that black-haired girl from yesterday?" Andy wondered.

"She risked her life for you and me, Andy," Sabi told her with a serious tone, not looking at him, "if it wasn't for her-"

"Plus she's soooo adorable!" Kenji added, watching the footage of their battle on his recorder.

Sabi chuckled. "Looks like someone's got a crush." Kenji blushed, grinning at her stupidly.

"I g...I...I guess..."

"Talking about that..." Andy murmured, rubbing the back of his head, "Sabi..." The brunette looked at him curiously. "Yeah?"

"About yesterday..."

As they were walking, the streets were still wet from the morning rain. Sabi stepped into a puddle, her shoe filling with water. She glared in annoyance. "Not again."

Kenji started recording. "Ladies and gentleman, here we have another unfortunate example of Sabina Kon's bad luck," he commented.

"It isn't bad luck..." As Sabi said that, a car drove by and splashed only her with even more water. "Seriously?"

"If it isn't bad luck then what is it?" Kenji asked her, "is there some supernatural power just making fun of you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Turn that thing off," she growled and cover the camera. He did as told, grinning.

"Maybe your bad luck was why that Mary chose you?" Kenji looked at her. She frowned even more. She didn't tell anyone but Niki she accepted Mary's offer.

Then they heard a roar and screams. Aaron and Star growled. They ran to the source of chaos.

They stopped as they saw an orange dinosaur; it was similar to a Stegosaurus.

"Awesome!" Kenji squeaked in excitement.

"How did it got here?" Andy wondered.

A black-haired boy appeared near them from the smoke. He wasn't older than 16. "Get out of here, brats," he told them, "that Tuojiangosaurus is mine."

"Yours? Who even are you?" Sabi asked him.

"I'm Drack." He glared at them. "You must be those troublemakers my sister was talking about."

"Sister?"

"You mean Mary?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately."

A card in his hand activated; a Megaraptor was facing the dino. Mahin rammed into the Tuojiangosaurus; it landed near the group.

It roared in agony, getting slowly up. Star rushed to it worriedly. As the Tuojiangosaurus attacked back, Star looked at her partner determinately. Sabi had no idea what she wants. Star titled her head to the battle several times.

"You want to help that dinosaur?" Sabi asked her. The Dilophosaurus nodded. "Alright then."

Sabi turned Star into a card and then swiped. "Shine, Star!" The Dilophosaurus appeared and attacked Mahin before he could, jumping on him and bitting him.

Mahin was shaking furiously.

"Hold there, Star!"

The Tuojiangosaurus slammed its tail into Megaraptors' other side. Mahin roared.

Sabi swiped one of her move cards. Star glowed in golden light and was about to spit venom at the Megaraptor, but he shook her off. Star fell to the ground and spit the venom. Mahin ran out of the way, causing the move to hit the Tuojiangosaurus. It was paralyzed by the attack's power.

"Thank you." Drack grinned. Mahin headbutted the Tuojiangosaurus.

"That wasn't a part of the plan..." Sabi frowned.

"And Kon's bad luck strikes again," Kenji commented, recording.

"Ugh! Not now, Kenji," Sabi growled.

"Don't worry, Sabi; we won't leave you and Star alone in this. Let's show them, Aaron!" Andy summoned his Coelophysis.

Aaron rushed at Mahin, but the Tuojiangosaurus rammed into the Coelophysis.

"What?! Hey, we're on your side!" Andy yelled.

"It seems to be mad because of the accidental attack," Sabi theorized.

"I honestly wasn't expecting that," Drack admitted, "your 'bad luck' plays right into my hands. This must be my lucky day. Destroy them!"

Mahin knocked both Aaron and Star down.

"Let's get this over with!" Andy said; he was about to activate a move card, but then another dinosaur joined the battle, green and yellowish body, a horn on its nose.

"Where did a Styracosaurus come from?" Drack wondered. All of them were confused.

—

The school hasn't finished on the other side of the city yet. As he was sitting in the class, Max noticed that his communicator's display was flashing. A dinosaur appeared?

He unsurely frowned. He was scared. After what he's done, he felt weak.

Alice saw tears in his eyes. Watching him like that was so painful. There must be something she can do to fix it.

—

A manly laugh sounded throughout the battlefield. They noticed a man standing behind the Styracosaurus. He wore a black and silver helmet with spikes on top; part of the helmet also worked like a mask covering his eyes. An only helpful thing to his recognition was his brown beard.

"Never fear when Dinoman is here!" he said.

Drack raised his eyebrows. "Is this a bad joke or something? Who even are you?"

The man grinned at him. "Call me Dinoman! And this is Blitz!" the man said, referring to his Styracosaurus.

"Dinoman?" the teens wondered.

"Oh my gosh!" Kenji squeaked, "that mask and that name! He must be a superhero!" He turned his camera to the man.

Dinoman looked at the trio. "Take care of the Tuojiangosaurus, we'll fight the Megaraptor."

They stared at him.

"Should we trust him?" Sabi asked the boys.

"We can't beat them like this," Andy pointed out, "let's go for it."

They agreed and their dinosaurs attacked. Star and Aaron used Atomic Bomb and Kamikaze Tackled respectively against the Tuojiangosaurus, while Blitz the Styracosaurus attacked with a move called Lightning Spear. He threw the Megaraptor in the air, jumping after him, stabbing him with his horn and striking him with lightning.

Both of the dinosaurs turned into cards.

Dinoman picked up Tuojiangosaurus' card. Drack grabbed his card.

"Who are you?" he growled.

"I've already told you," Dinoman replied, grin still on his face, "haven't I? You shouldn't underestimate people."

Drack rolled his eyes and disappeared.

The rest called their dinosaurs back.

"Why did you help us?" Sabi asked the man.

"I'm here to save the dinosaurs from them. I actually wanted to ask you if you could help me with that."

"Help you?" Andy wondered.

"As it already happened, the dinosaurs may appear all over the Earth. I have a way to get to those, but you don't, so what about you protect the city while I take care of the rest of the world."

There was a silence, but they agreed at the end. They had their reasons for it.

Then the man pressed a button on a small device and disappeared in bright light.

—

He appeared in the D-lab.

Justin looked up at him. "H-how did it go?" he asked him. Dinoman showed him the Tuojiangosaurus card.

"I was also able to convince the teens that fought there to help us and take care of the city."

The boy nodded. Justin actually knew who's under that mask because else he wouldn't let him teleport. He promised to keep Dinoman's identity a secret.

They heard several footsteps and the door opening.

Cole, Kyra, Sue, Alice, and their dinosaurs entered the room.

"Alright, we're here. What is it you wanted to talk about-" Cole was asking Alice, but he stopped when he noticed the man in the mask. "Who the heck are you?!"

"Shrimp, what the hell?" Sue growled.

"Well... This is..."

"Dinoman!" the man introduced himself.

"Seriously...?" Sue sighed.

He explained his idea and deal with Justin, using D-lab's teleporter to do D-team's job from now on.

"What a coincidence," Kyra said enthusiastically, "Ally wanted us to do the same!"

They all looked at Alice, making her blush. She nodded bashfully.

"So, we would take over what Kid and the others started?" Cole wondered, "yeah. Yeah! Definitely yeah!"

"Why the hell would we do that?" Sue snapped.

"To save those poor dinosaurs!" Kyra explained tearfully.

"I'll do it," Sue growled, "but only to kick that bastard's ass. I'll make him pay for what he did to Zoe!"

"D-does that mean I should take over Reese's position?" Justin asked shyly.

"Definitely!" Kyra said happily, "we'll all work together!"

Cole frowned. "All together...? You aren't mad at me anymore?"

"Cole, we shouldn't bring our old couple problems into this. I am still mad at you, but that isn't important at the moment."

He blinked at her.

"So, she is your Tyrannosaurus ex?!" Dinoman laughed.

Everyone glared at him.

"That's such a bad pun that only my dad would come up with it; this pun should go extinct," Cole commented, "how can you even teleport, man?"

"The teleported has been upgraded; anyone can be teleported now, but Reese has mentioned that some bugs can appear," Justin explained.

"Oh, great..." Sue murmured sarcastically, "I still don't trust this guy though. Why the hell would we trust a suspicious guy with a mask?"

"We don't have to be allies. I just don't want us to be enemies."

"Fine! But, no one, expect me to work with you. I just wanna beat the crap out of that asshole!" Sue growled.

"But, Suzie-"

"Don't call me that," she snapped at Kyra.

"A-anyway, you are going to need this," Justin mumbled anxiously, giving Sue a red communicator.

"I doubt this is gonna end up well. Just look at us. Wanna be a superhero, egoistic rockstar, silent art club leader, nerd without self-confidence, overdramatizing nurse, and mayor's poor niece. Great..."

"Sue... Why do you have to be so negative and mean...?" Kyra sobbed.

"Hmph!"

Suddenly a beeping sounded through the D-lab.

"A dinosaur? Where?!"

Justin searched for the dinos position, presenting it on the big screen.

"Europe? Seriously?" Cole wondered as he looked at the map.

Justin nodded. "M-more specifically Berlin, Germany."

Dinoman already teleported, using a little device he had.

"Sue and I will go!" Kyra decided.

"The hell?! No!"

"C'mon!" She grabbed Sue's arm and dragged her at the platform, their dinosaurs following. Sue rolled her eyes. "Fine..." She put her stone plate in her communicator.

"What the hell am I suppose to do now?" she asked rudely.

"P-press the yellow button," Justin told them.

Kyra and Sue did as told and disappeared alongside with Jessica the Corythosaurus and Sue's Daspletosaurus.

—

But they weren't the only ones aware of a new dinosaur; the Akuno knew as well.

Drack originally intended to go, but Zepar wasn't happy with him. He failed her.

She chose Rex to go instead.

—

The light around Sue faded away; there was a wall in front of her. She blinked a few times. "The hell...?"

"Sue?" she heard a sweet voice, turning to it. Kyra was smiling and waving at her. Sue frowned, glancing away. "I've said no cooperating crap," she snapped.

"But-"

"No! Where is that dino anyway?"

Kyra looked at her communicator; Justin's face appeared on the screen.

"A-are you there?" he asked them.

"I'm...not sure..." Kyra murmured, looking around. "There is a big wall..."

"That's the Berlin Wall, dummy," Sue growled.

"So... we're in...?" Kyra wondered.

"We're in Berlin, numbskull!" Sue snapped at her and facepalmed herself.

"Huh?" Kyra looked at her. "Sorry..."

"Is this a good idea?" Cole asked Justin on the other side.

"I am not sure," the boy replied as he ended the call.

Alice nodded, she was sure unlike them.

—

Back in Germany, Dinoman was searching for the dinosaur on the other side of a river than the girls. He called out Blitz the Styracosaurus to help.

—

Rex appeared on the bridge with Ace.

He closed his eyes, his fists shook. He had to succeed... Ace nuzzled his leg; he looked down at his partner and nodded.

—

Sue glared at Kyra. She refused to work with her, but she needed to find a dino to find Drack.

"Hey!"

Kyra looked at her curiously. "Yes?"

"Do you hear people screaming?" Sue asked her.

"Why?"

"Where are screaming people there is a dinosaur!" she snapped.

"I see..." Kyra listened carefully. There was no special sound, just flowing water, people walking around, fast light steps. Wait, what?

Kyra looked down. Four green small lizards running around. Neither of the girls found them strange, but Jessica and the Daspletosaurus were sniffing them. The Daspletosaurus bit a tail of one of the lizards, the one with a grey stripe on it.

"Can these be dinosaurs?" Sue wondered.

"They might be..."

The rest of the dinos attacked the Daspletosaurus, bitting it until it lets go of their sibling.

They ran away on the bridge, the girls followed.

—

Blitz roared as he noticed a small grey lizard running around. Dinoman looked at it carefully. "A Compsognathus..."

He slowly and quietly sneaked to the dino. As the Compsognathus looked away he jumped at it, grabbing the tiny dino. It squeaked and struggled.

Dinoman grinned. "Calm down, little guy."

The Compsognathus growled, bitting his hand. Dinoman let go of the dino; it ran away. He looked at his hand; it was bleeding a little bit.

"It sure has harmful teeth for the smallest dinosaur..."

He and Blitz ran after it on the bridge.

—

Rex saw four tiny green dinos and Sue and Kyra with their dinosaurs following them. From the other side, Dinoman and Blitz chased after the grey one.

As he watched them he took his hoodie on and summoned Ace.

"Carnotaurus, blow them away!"

They looked at the Carnotaurus.

"The hell are you doing here?!" Sue snapped.

"Taking the cards," Rex replied, "Ace, get the Compsognathus."

Ace roared in pain and rushed towards the grey Compy as if he was forced.

Kyra turned Jessica into a card and swiped.

"Dino slash! Showtime, Corythosaurus!"

The white Corythosaurus tried to knock Ace off the way, but he knocked her down instead.

"Jess!"

Jessica changed back into a card.

"That was fast..." Sue murmured.

The grey Compy growled at Ace. He glowed in grey light and started running around the Carnotaurus. Ace watched him. He was distracted enough not to notice the other four Compies attacking him. They glowed in the grey light, shooting a white beam at Ace, draining his energy.

Ace collapsed to the ground, growling. "Ace! I can't fail. Cyclone!" Rex swiped a move card. Ace glowed in light blue light, a tornado surrounded him and rushed at the Compies, knocking them down.

Sue wasted no time, summoning her Daspletosaurus. The Daspletosaurus grabbed Ace's tail and threw him off the bridge. The water splashed and the dino followed to finish him.

Meanwhile, the four green Compies turned into one card and a move card; the grey one rushed to it worriedly, turning back as well. Kyra picked the cards up.

The rest was watching the Carnotaurus and the Daspletosaurus fighting in the water. Ace was freaking out.

"Get him!" Sue yelled at her dino.

"Ace, no!"

The Daspletosaurus headbutted Ace. As he fell down he roared.

Dinoman noticed sparks appearing on Ace's forehead like there was a broken device.

Rex was watching his best friend being pulled, thrown, struggling in fear. Tears filled his eyes; this was his fault.

The Daspletosaurus smacked Ace with her tail. The Carnotaurus panted, he was about to collapse.

"Ace-AGH!" Rex screamed in pain, rubbing the back of his neck. Dinoman noticed it.

Rex looked determinately down at his partner as he was turning into a card. Rex climbed over the railing and jumped into the water.

"Rex?!"

He swam to Ace's card, grabbing it. He glared at the Daspletosaurus before he disappeared.

Sue call her Daspletosaururs back and they all came back.


	8. The Spell Of Love

**Yes, I am still alive, just busy and stressed out; I hope such a delay won't happen again.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

—

 **Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

Sue, her Daspletosaurus, Kyra, Jessica, Dinoman, and Blitz came back to the D-lab. Dinoman's hand was still bleeding a little.

"How did you do?" Justin asked them.

"Hell great," Sue murmured annoyedly, "I fought through that all alone." The Daspletosaurus growled at her. "Fine, you helped..." Sue glared.

"We did great!" Kyra said, showing them the cards.

Cole's eyes widened; the symbol on the cards was identical to his stone. He rushed to Kyra. She gave him the cards.

"I have my own dinosaur!" Cole grinned and looked at Kyra. "You're amazing, babe!" Kyra blushed as she heard that.

Cole was about to hug her, but he stopped; they stared at each other awkwardly. They looked away, blushing.

"Thanks, Kyra..." Cole mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're happy!" Kyra smiled at him.

Dinoman grinned and headed out. "My job here is done."

"But you didn't do anything," Sue snapped as Dinoman and Blitz left.

They all walked down off the platform.

Cole carefully swiped one of the cards. The grey Compsognathus appeared at his feet; he was much smaller than the others.

"A Compy! That's so cool!" Cole's eyes widened. The Compy climbed on his shoulder. "Hey there, buddy!" The Compy growled happily and looked at the other card in Cole's hand. "You want me to call them out as well?" The Compy nodded.

—

Dinoman and Blitz were walking through the forest back in the city when the man took the helmet off. His brunet spiky hair was messy from the helmet. Spike Taylor, the man nobody recognized under Dinoman's mask looked down at his Styracosaurus.

"They did a good job," he said, smiling, "I'm sure they can do even better together. Have you noticed what Ace had on his forehead and what happened to Rex?"

Blitz only roared. Spike sighed. "What am I thinking? I won't get an answer from you; at least not one I could understand." He looked at the helmet. "I'm sorry, Blitz, but I must keep you in the card, so, we don't blow up our cover." Blitz nodded understandably. Dr. Taylor touched a plate attached to the helmet and Blitz turned into a card.

—

Spike got back home and hid the helmet and Blitz's card. While he was looking for a good place he opened a drawer in the bedroom and saw a dark grey crystal. He frowned and closed the drawer, looking for a different place.

Then he sat down on the bed, looking at his bleeding hand, not bothered at all.

The door opened and Aki entered the room. "You're back-Oh my god!" she gasped as she noticed the blood, covering her mouth. She rushed for the first aid kit.

"What happened to you?" she asked him when she returned and took off his glove. He was silent. He didn't want to make her worried; who knows how would she react to his plan.

"Spike?"

He looked at her. "You gave up on Cole's crystal."

She glanced away, her hands shaking. "No... I'm scared... The Akuno first took Rex and then attacked Zoe...I don't want to be part of this..."

He held her hands tightly. "You don't have to be."

She looked at him sadly, treating his hand, wrapping a bandage around the wound. "What were you doing?"

"I can't tell you." He closed his eyes. "I don't want to put you in danger."

"I thought you trust me..."

He opened his eyes worriedly. "Of course I do! ...Aki... I'll tell you the truth one day." He stroked her cheek gently. "I promise. I'm doing this for the good because if the kids give up, I can't."

She chuckled tearfully, crying. "Lucy was right. You always have to be a hero..." She hugged him tightly. "I must be to protect my treasure..." He whispered as he hugged her back.

"Promise me-"

"I'll promise you anything in the world and make it true."

"I only want you to be careful..."

"I promise." He kissed her forehead.

They kept hugging each other for a while, but they were interrupted by a small green lizard.

"Alpha! Come back!" they heard Cole yelling. They let go of each other and Spike put the glove back on to partly hide the bandages.

Cole ran into the room. "Alpha!" he yelled at the green dino. It sniffed Aki and nuzzled her hand. She smiled, patting its back.

"Sorry, he's a bit wild..." Cole murmured.

"So, you got yourself a Compsagnathus!" Spike grinned, pretending like he had no idea.

"Yeah! I've just found the cards!" Cole replied, "but I don't have just one Compy..." The other three green Compies led by the grey one rushed in the room. "The grey one is Mitch. And here are Alpha." He pointed at the green Compy with a red stripe. "Zeta." He pointed on the one with a grey stripe. "Gamma-wait, where is she?" Cole looked around. Meanwhile, the one with the yellow stripe climbed on his shoulder and nuzzled him. "Here you are! And this is Delta." He pointed at the last one with a blue stripe. The Compy growled happily.

"Cole, isn't it alpha, _beta_ , gamma, delta?" Aki asked her son.

"So what?" Cole only grinned.

—

When Rex came back in the Akuno, Zepar was furious. **"You failed!"**

"I am sorry..." he murmured.

"Your majesty, I knew sending him was a bad idea," Drack said.

 **"I've sent him because you failed as well, Drack! How could you lose to that clown? Who was he anyway?"**

"I believe he calls himself Dinoman. He was unexpectedly strong."

Zepar ignored Drack and looked at Rex. **"If you dare to fail the next time... Drack, show him."**

The black-haired boy smirked, a device with two buttons appeared in his hand; he pressed one of them.

A wave of pain rushed through Rex's body; he screamed in agony, holding the back of his neck, his body paralyzed.

Ace hissed at Drack, running at him. He was about to jump at him and bite him, but Drack pressed the other button. Ace fell to the ground and roared in pain, growling hatefully.

Drack let go of the buttons. Rex fell to his knees, tears in his eyes. "Ace..."

 **"You better succeed the next time or you and your little friend are going to suffer."**

Rex nodded weakly. "I will... I will succeed... whatever it takes..."

 **"Good boy. You can go."**

Rex hardly got up and picked up Ace, heading to his room.

He sat on his bed, holding Ace tightly. "I'm sorry, buddy... But we're left with no other choice... No one else can help... Everything will go back and this will end..."

Ace looked up at him, licking his cheek. "Thank you... At least I still have you by my side..."

Suddenly the door burst open and Mary with a glass of water? rushed in. "Rexy! I've heard what happened."

"Yeah?"

"You can't just fail a mission like that! Zepar will kill you!"

 _"Maybe that would be better for everyone..."_ Rex thought. Ace knew what his partner was thinking just from his expression. He nuzzled Rex's talisman. The blonde looked down at him, smiling.

"So cute!" Mary screeched, blushing.

Rex glanced away.

Mary sat down next to him. "Here." She handed him the glass of water. "This will make you feel better."

"Thank you..." Rex took the glass and drank. Ace sniffed and growled, knocking the glass from Rex's hand. It was already empty.

"Ace! What are you doing?!" Rex wondered surprisedly.

"Hey! I'm just trying to be nice!" Mary snapped at the Carnotaurus. Ace barked at her. "Ace, calm down-" Rex stopped, his eyes glowed pink for a second, a blank stare took over his face.

Ace hissed worriedly.

Mary stroked Rex's shoulders. "Is everything okay, darling?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Rex replied. Mary grinned evilly and kissed the blonde. Rex didn't refuse and instead kissed her back. Ace's eyes widened; there was something wrong. He growled at Mary. She only giggled.

—

Meanwhile, in the Komatsus' house, Alice was sitting at the table in her room, drawing. Justin and Tashi the Pachycephalosaurus were there with her.

"Sister, do you think it was a good idea?" Justin asked her.

She smiled at him.

"It seems you do... But I am starting to consider what Susan said is true. I am a 'nerd without self-confidence'..."

She shook her head.

"Sister..."

Alice got up and walked to her little brother, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Despite that Alice hasn't spoken for five years, he always knew what she wanted to say. As the only one, he understands her.

"If you think so... I am worried that you will not be able to fight Rex. Is that why you refused to go with Kyra and others today?" Justin wondered. Alice looked away, blushing. "I take that as a yes. Goodnight."

Justin left the room.

Alice looked down at Tashi, still blushing. She sighed, changed her clothes and went to bed. Tashi curled up on her chest like a cat as she lay down.

They soon fell asleep.

—

 _In the dreamland, Alice heard someone repeating "I hate you" over and over again. This nightmare followed her for years. She couldn't get that voice out of her head._

 _The darkness around her formed into a blond boy, crying. She stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. There were two people lying in front of them in blood. She knew very well who they are despite never meeting them._

 _"Rex..." Alice touched his shoulder, but he didn't react. "I'm so sorry for what happened... I know how this feels." She sighed. "I know you can't hear me... No one ever listens anyway..."_

 _He took her hand. "That's not true."_

 _Alice blushed._

 _"You have no idea how this feels...!" Rex snapped._

 _"Huh?" Alice's heart shattered as her fear came true. Ever since she heard he's evil, she was afraid he'd turn against her._

 _She shook her head, closing her eyes. She felt something nuzzling her. She opened her eyes. She was in the D-lab, kneeling down, Tashi nuzzling her cheek. Everyone else was giving her reproaching glares. She remembered this moment. After the D-team came back from Italy, she and Justin found out the truth and she stole Pachycephalosaurus' card._

 _Tashi nuzzled her again._

—

Alice woke up, her partner looking at her. She sighed. Tashi titled her head. Alice smiled at her reassuringly.

She sat up, sighing. It was still night, but she couldn't sleep. She was scared of those nightmares.

She stayed up all night, but as the sun come up her eyes closed.

—

She started to wake up later. Kyra was giving her a piggyback ride to the usual meeting place; the only one waiting there was Amy.

"Hi, Kyra..."

"Hey, Am! You're still alone?" Kyra wondered.

"Yeah. Sue is usually here at this time." Amy sighed sadly. "I guess she doesn't want to do anything with me when Zoe isn't here..." She lowered her head.

Kyra's eyes filled with tears. She patted Amy's head gently. "Don't take it personally. How I know Sue she doesn't want to be around anyone unless Zoe's with her." Amy looked up at her. Kyra beamed at her. "Everything's going to be alright!"

Amy smiled weakly back.

Alice nodded. "Ally! You're awake!" Kyra said cheerfully, putting her sister down. Alice looked up at her. Kyra leaned to her. "Don't worry, Tashi went in the D-lab with Justin," she whispered.

They headed to school.

Just like yesterday, Max didn't talk to anyone, trying not to cry.

Sue was already in the classroom, Amy walked over to her.

"The hell you want?" Susan wondered, not looking at her. "...I was waiting for you at our meeting place, but you didn't show up," Amy murmured.

"So what?! I had no reason to meet with you."

Alice rushed to them, glaring at Sue. She pulled her to the side, so Amy doesn't hear them. "Look, that we 'work together' doesn't mean I have to be hell nice to everyone. I'm not a good guy here. I don't care about her anyway." Sue turned away and headed as far as she could in the classroom.

Alice looked back at Amy; she heard Sue's last words. "It's okay, Alice... I wasn't expecting anything else from her..." Amy walked away. Alice frowned, watching her.

—

Justin and Tashi entered the D-lab. The Pachycephalosaurus immediately rushed to Blitz; he and Dr. Taylor were already there.

"Hey, Justin."

"Good morning." Justin bowed and walked over to the computer. "It is great to see you here, but are you sure your Styracosaurus should be here? Anyone can come here and if they see him they will put two and two together."

"Don't worry that much." Dr. Taylor grinned at him, patting his head. Justin looked up at him; he hasn't felt like this in a while, looking up at a fatherly figure.

"Alright, I will not. That superhero identity was your idea after all. Why do you even have to have a secret identity?" Justin wondered.

"Well, that's..."

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that you and Reese seem to know that person we fought in the park?"

Dr. Taylor looked surprised. Justin covered his mouth thoughtfully. "I noticed that you looked at each other when you saw him and sister heard you whisper something like 'we should have warned them'; I figured you two know more than you tell."

Spike chuckled. "You sure are too smart for me. You're right about the cover-up being because of the Akuno, but I can't tell you more right now. Maybe you'll figure it out by yourself."

—

Several hours later, Alice was all alone in the art club, painting. The painting was a blond boy, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She had to meet him, she knew she will. Maybe she'll be the one to open his eyes.

Suddenly her communicator started to go off; a red dot was flashing on the display somewhere in Europe.

Then faces of the rest of the group appeared.

"Hey, team! Ready to go?" Cole asked them. "Oh, hell no, I'm not going anywhere. And we're not a team!" Sue snapped; she turned aggressive so fast without her best friend. "Then just Cole and Ally should go to enjoy the fun," Kyra said.

"If you say so," Justin told them, "I will be waiting in the D-lab to send you there." Cole shrugged. "Ready, Piccaso?" Alice nodded and hung up, heading to the D-lab.

—

Meanwhile, in the Akuno, Zepar was sitting on the throne, waiting for the newest member, Kami standing next to her.

 **"Where for my sake is he?"**

"I bet he's on the way, but Mary is very likely holding him with her," Kami theorized.

Zepar rolled her eyes. **"That witch again? She's too fixated on him."**

"You can say that again..." Kami grinned, chuckling.

Soon Rex with Mary leaning on his arm entered the room. **"A new card appeared in Denmark. Don't fail me this time or I'll-"**

"I know," Rex interrupted Zepar, rubbing the back of his neck. It still hurt from the shocks. "I won't fail."

 **"Good."**

"Come back to me, darling~!" Mary told him, grabbing his chin, kissing him. He once again didn't refuse.

Kami's eyes widened in horrifying surprise and Zepar put her finger in her mouth, wanting to throw up. She was clearly disgusted by Mary's act.

Rex disappeared in smoke.

Mary turned to Zepar, blushing. "Your majesty, it would be the greatest pleasure to go with my dearest Rexy. I promise we won't disappoint you again."

Zepar rolled her eyes. **"Fine."** She gave Mary a dinosaur card. **"You have permission to use it, just don't do _that_ in front of me again!"**

Mary nodded and disappeared.

"She gave him a love potion," Kami speculated.

 **"Definitely."**

—

Cole and Alice rushed in the D-lab. Tashi ran to her partner.

"Where is the dino, four-eyes?" Cole asked.

"In Denmark," Justin replied, "Dinoman is already there."

The group headed on the platform and teleported. Justin stayed behind.

—

As Rex appeared in a city, people were running away. It was early in the morning, still dark. There was a big green-yellow lizard with a spine similar to Spinosaurus standing in the middle of the street.

A minute after him, Cole, Alice, and Tashi teleported.

"A Dimetrodon! That's not a dinosaur... Never mind, Compy squad-" Cole was about to summon his dinosaurs, but Alice pulled his sleeve, pointing to Rex. Cole gasped.

"He's here...?"

The Dimetrodon growled and headed after a group of people. The group was slowly separated, only one brunette girl staying behind. She was slower than everyone else, her eyes were focused on the Dimetrodon that she didn't pay attention to the things in the way and tripped, slowing herself even more.

Rex noticed the girl, she had a light-blue ribbon in her long brown hair and had a dark vest. She was shaking in fear, almost crying. Her terrified face woke up something inside Rex, it made him open his eyes.

As the Dimetrodon's jaw came closer to the girl, Rex ran to her. He jumped in front of the lizard, grabbing the girl, knocking her down.

The Dimetrodon snapped his jaw, growling. The girl's emerald eyes stared at Rex. He got up and took her hand, running away before the lizard could notice them.

Alice's Pachycephalosaurus made it easier for them. Tashi attacked the Dimetrodon, ramming into him.

Everything went well until a Carcharodontosaurus appeared, the green dino knocked Tashi down. Unknown to the group, Mary was in control of the Carcharodontosaurus.

"Hold on! Where did that one come from?" Cole wondered.

As the two dinos kept fighting, the Dimetrodon made his escape. Alice and Cole didn't notice.

After a while, Dinoman walked over to them.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"Yeah, the Dimetrodon is right-oh, wait..." Cole realized that their original target is missing. "Where did it go?"

"That doesn't matter," Dinoman told him, "Alice, call Tashi back. Fighting Akuno at this point won't help, it'll only drain Tashi's energy." Alice did as told and called Tashi back.

"Then what do you suggest?" Cole questioned.

"I've seen R-that blond boy."

"Really? Lead the way!"

They ran after Rex.

Mary stood in the background, watching them. She turned her Carcharodontosaurus into a card and followed.

—

Rex and the girl ran into a small aisle. They stopped, still holding hands.

"Are you alright?" Rex asked her, looking at her. The girl paused when she saw his face clearly, beautiful blue eyes. He was cute but also hot in her opinion, only his scars weren't good looking.

"Hey, are you listening?" he asked again, waving his hand in front of her eyes. She blinked a few times, snapping out of his charm.

"Yeah... I'm okay. Thank you. Thank you so much for saving my life." The girl smiled at him brightly. He blushed slightly.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're okay."

"Anyway, I'm Bel." The girl placed her hand on her chest. Rex noticed a little pink stone as her necklace. "Nice to meet you, my name is-"

"Rex!" sounded in the background. Cole, Dinoman, and Alice rushed to the two. Rex made a step back. What are they going to do to him after what he caused?

They stopped near them. "Rex." Bel noticed how uncomfortable the blonde is around these people; she stepped in front of him. "Stay away from him."

"Hold on, lady," Cole told her, waving his hands, "you've got it all wrong! We're his friends. At least I am for sure!" He pointed his thumb at himself. Alice glared at him confusedly.

Bel turned back at Rex. "Is it true?" He glanced away, a shadow falling into his eyes. "We used to be...friends..." he murmured.

"Used to be?!" the tall boy snapped, "dude, what the heck?! You're almost like my little brother. How can you say we used to be friends?"

The blonde didn't reply.

Dinoman touched Cole's shoulder. "Leave him to his opinion." Cole looked at him, frowning sadly. "I only wanted..." he growled, "if we convince Rex to come back, Kid and Zoe would forgive each other and recover everything the Akuno broke."

Rex's fist shook as he listened. He looked up at the guitarist. "How is she?" he asked firmly.

"Zoe? She's fine, still in the hospital but fine."

He sighed in relief.

Alice and Bel kept their eyes on him the whole time.

He turned from everyone, showing them his back. He was looking at Ace's card. "Sorry, Cole, but I can't come back."

"But why-"

"I just can't!" Rex yelled at him, surprising everyone. Alice walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. He didn't react at first. Alice opened her mouth; she was about to say something. Cole and Dinoman held their breath; this would be the first time Alice would talk in five years. But Rex spoke up first, "Sorry... But no one of you can help me to fix my mistake, only the Akuno can."

Bel stood there, more confused than before. Akuno?

"Now, if you excuse me, I go take that Dimetrodon," Rex said and disappeared in smoke.

"You can forget about that," Cole mumbled and ran away. Dinoman and Alice followed him.

Bel stayed where she stood, putting the stuff she heard together. Unknown to her, a ginger girl was sitting on the roof of one of the buildings around, watching her.

"The potion ran out already. Never mind. This girl... She can't hide her feelings. I know she has a thing for my Rexy and other girl does as well," she said to herself, "you little bitches won't get away with that."

—

The Dimetrodon was walking casually around.

Rex found it and called out Ace. "Carnotaurus, blow them away!" He swiped the cards and the Carnotaurus landed beside him. "If we fail, Zepar will torture us, Ace. I can't let you go through that pain again..."

The Carnotaurus ran towards the Dimetrodon, but getting hit by his tail. Ace roared and did the same to the Dimetrodon.

"Oh, Rexy~!" he heard a girly voice behind with; it gave him and Ace chills, their eyes widened, looking back. The voice caught them by surprise and the Dimetrodon took advantage of it, knocking Ace down.

"Ace, no!" Rex screamed, glaring behind himself at Mary, who was running to him. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, annoyed by her already.

"I'm here to help you, darling~!" she replied, smiling wickedly.

Rex gulped nervously, sweat dropping when he heard that. "D-darling?"

"Of course~" Mary purred, "it stopped affecting." "What?" "But don't worry, Rexy, I'll fix it in no time~"

"What are you-"

Mary pulled out a small glass with a bit of pink liquid and literally pour it in Rex's mouth. His eyes glowed pink for a second and a blank stare took over his again.

"It's just a little bit, but it should work for a while," Mary said to herself. She grabbed his chin and was about to kiss him. Ace noticed, running at her angrily.

"Ace, stop," Rex told him monotonously. The Carnotaurus stopped, growling.

In the next moment, the Dimetrodon attacked him, grabbing his tail. He spun Ace around and then threw him away. Ace got up but then fell down again, turning back into a card.

Not long after, Cole's pack of Compies, Dinoman's Styracosaurus and Alice's Pachycephalosaurus joined the battle, so Mary called out her Carcharodontosaurus.

Compy Squad and Blitz attacked the Dimetrodon, while Tashi fought the Carcharodontosaurus.

Rex went to pick up Ace's card. Mary laughed maniacally, walking over to Rex. "Oh, what have we here? Two clowns and 'little Komatsu'..." Alice glared at the ginger; Cole and Dinoman were surprised. How does she know her last name?

As the battle went on, the girl Rex saved before got to the battlefield, her eyes fixed on the blonde. Bel headed closer to him and Mary.

"Look, ginger, I don't give damn about who you are but the card is-" Cole stopped his speech as Mary kissed passionately Rex. Everyone stood still in shock. Alice's face turned red in anger, pointing at the ginger to let her partner know who's the new target. Tashi rushed towards Mary.

Bel felt the same as the brunette, jealous.

Mary pulled out an orange card. Bel had no idea what it was for, but she jumped at the ginger, making her drop the card.

"What are you doing?" Rex snapped with rather hostile voice. Bel got off Mary and took Rex's hand. He stared at her not knowing what's going on with him. He fought the potion and opened his eyes because of her again. "Bel...?" She only smiled.

Meanwhile, the battle ended. Tashi knocked out Mary's Carcharodontosaurus and Blitz and Compy Squad made the Dimetrodon change into its card. Alice rushed to take the cards before Akuno does. Rex ran to do the same, but Alice was faster than him.

"...Alice, please... I need those card," he begged her. She hardly shook her head, syncing 'sorry'.

Rex frowned and disappeared.

—

Meanwhile, Amy went to visit Zoe in the hospital. They greeted each other, then Zoe noticed that something seems a little off.

"Is everything okay?" she asked her.

"Yeah... Just Sue is... well, Sue."

"She is a little harsh to everyone except me."

"But why?" Amy wondered.

"I don't know, but I'll soon be released so everything's going to be fine again, I promise, Amy!" Zoe took her hand. Amy smiled bashfully.

"I feel alone without you..." she said quietly, "I've only had Hana before I met you."

"We'll always be friends, Amy, I promise."

—

 **"How could you fail?!"** Zepar yelled the two minions. They lowered their heads.

 **"I told what's going to happen to you!"**

"Your majesty, wait!" Mary spoke up, "it's my fault."

Rex looked at her with disbelief; he was back in the normal state again.

"If it wasn't for me, he would succeed. Punish me instead!"

Zepar smirked. **"As you wish."**

Rex sighed. She took the blame for him, she's going to suffer for him.

He looked at his hand, he was holding a small blue stone necklace Bel gave him as she took his hand before...


	9. Back To The Normal Life

A few weeks later, things started to look brighter for everyone. The Traveling Forces, the group of Cole, Kyra, Justin, Sue, Alice, Dinoman, and their partners, successfully obtained multiple cards; of course, the Akuno weren't the losers all the time either. Sabi and Andy helped the group as well, not knowing about anyone except for Dinoman.

Zoe started to feel much better and soon was released from the hospital.

That morning she woke up and saw someone rather unusual, a pregnant woman with short black hair, right eye red and left eye pitch black. The woman's appearance wasn't the only unusual thing; Zoe knew her, she was doctor Wendy Makuto.

Since the day Zoe got in the hospital, she visited her, claiming to be Kyra's friend and local doctor, that of course was the case confirmed by Kyra herself. The reason Wendy was present despite her state was her curiosity. The circumstances of Zoe's injuries were very interesting for her.

Wendy brought Zoe breakfast that morning. "I'm glad to see you're better," she told her, "ready to go to school today?"

"Yeah. Are you sure you should be here today?" Zoe asked her, referring to the woman's pregnancy.

"No worries. We are in the hospital anyway," Wendy chuckled.

"Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. And say hello to Kyra for me." Wendy smiled and left.

Zoe started to eat and Paris jumped up at the bed.

—

Wendy closed the door behind her, but then felt pain, not just that... Her water broke as well.

"So, you want out, huh?" She smiled weakly, holding her belly.

—

The usual daily routine followed at Wadas household, Ema woke up easily and Sue didn't. The whole family went to eat, both cousins sneaked some food for their dinosaur partners.

Then as always, they headed to school, Ema and her brother by a limo and Sue walked by herself, at least to the meeting place.

She was the first one there. After a while, Amy slowly walked to her, not expecting the brunette to come.

"Sue?"

"Hey, there," Sue replied with rather a hostile tone. Amy was scared to say anything else, Sue didn't even bother looking at her, she was nothing to her.

Awkward silence and atmosphere were between the two, until...

"Girl!" Sue called.

Amy looked up from her shoes and spotted a pink-haired girl heading their way. "Zoe!" They both rushed to her and hugged her.

She hugged them back tightly.

"Zoe, you're really okay," Amy murmured. Zoe smiled at her. "I'm glad to be back to a normal routine," she said.

Soon, Alice caught up with them and they headed to school.

—

Michael Miharu was also on his way to school. Unlike every day this time, his big brother drove him to school.

He got in the car on the front seat beside a brunette man, the sides of his head shaved, blue eyes, a leather jacket, a silver earring in his left ear.

"Hey, Jeff," Michael greeted his brother, bumping their fists together.

"Hey, kid!" Michael's brother Jeff grinned at him and drove to the school.

"So, how does your 'hunt' on the rich chick going?" he asked his little brother.

"Not very well..." Michael admitted, blushing slightly, "her father doesn't allow her to be home late for one minute. He doesn't want her to talk to me."

"Ms. Ogata-well, now Mrs. Wada has mentioned that he is an asshole. Wonder why she came back to him... Gotta keep trying, bro; you can't give up now!" Jeff grinned.

Michael sighed. "Easy just saying that for you..."

Jeff bumped his fist to his brother's shoulder. "Can't give up!" This was an uncharacteristically positive talk for Jeff; he's been like this for several past months just like his girlfriend.

"Talking about relationships, what about you and Wendy?" Micheal questioned.

"Actually, it's never been so good between us. Since she's pregnant she...I...dunno...She's more open I guess, but still the cutest cinnamon roll I've met." Jeff smiled brightly.

Michael chuckled. "You seem to be happy to be a father soon."

"Yeah... But worried too. What if I'll be like our father?"

"You can't be that horrible..." Michael assured him, "drunk and abusive..."

"I hope."

The car stopped near the school and Michael got out. "Bye!"

Once the door closed, Jeff's cell phone rang. He immediately answered when noticed it's from Wendy.

"Hey, babe."

"Hello, Mr. Miharu," a male voice sounded from the other side.

"Who the hell are you?" Jeff asked aggressively him, "where did you get Wen's phone?!"

"I'm Dr. King, Wendy's colleague. She's giving birth right now," the man replied.

"She what...? Tell her I'm on my way!"

—

Meanwhile, Dengyo and Kenji were on their way to school with Shadow the Lufengosaurus walking by their side.

"Tell me, Den, when are you finally going to join the dino battles?" Kenji wondered.

Dengyo looked at his brother. "I'm not sure, but it won't be soon."

"Why?"

"Akuno, brother, Akuno. I should not show myself for a while, I betrayed them after all. They aren't happy for sure; I've experienced Zepar's wrath before..." Dengyo looked up into the sky, becoming completely silent. He usually does that to avoid answering uncomfortable questions.

Kenji pouted. "Fine, go back to being emo..." he mumbled annoyedly, "Andy, Sabi and I will help Dinoman without you."

"You don't even know who he is," Dengyo pointed out.

"He's a dinosaur superhero! No one can know his true identity!"

That objection made Den roll his eyes; he couldn't believe his brother and his friends trusted someone like that and that nobody was able to recognize the man yet.

It was dumb.

—

Dengyo wasn't the only one lost in his thoughts; Rex was sitting on the bed in his room in the Akuno, staring at the blue stone necklace Bel gave him some time ago. He couldn't get her out of his head.

Ace was laying on the bed, relaxing. Since they returned from Denmark, Mary hasn't tried to charm Rex again, so the Carnotaurus wasn't worried at all.

Rex sighed, which made Ace look up at his partner, hissing softly.

"I'm fine..."

"You don't seem like that, amigo," a male voice said. Rex looked to the door. A tall, black-haired Spanish boy was standing there.

"Cruz?"

"What's bothering you?" he asked the blonde. Rex didn't reply and looked back at the necklace.

"Are you thinking about that girl?" Cruz continued asking.

"Maybe..." Rex murmured, not sure if it is a good or bad answer, "I don't know why..."

"You should talk to her again," Cruz told him.

Rex raised his head again. "Why?"

"She's left an unforgettable mark on your soul. You won't feel relieved until you see her again."

The blonde blushed. "I guess..."

—

In the North School, Niki and Ema were already in the classroom, so were Max and Nicolas and some of their other classmates.

Niki was sitting at her desk, texting and occasionally peeking at Nicolas. Ema was standing beside her, trying to have a conversation with her.

"He's terrible... I'm sure if he knew I'm talking to you he wouldn't let me go to school anymore," Ema complained.

"Uhm..." Niki replied, keeping her eyes on her cellphone.

Ema looked at her, frowning. "Are you even listening?"

"Well, yeah..." the blonde mumbled, focusing on texting.

"It doesn't seem like it," Ema told her.

"Well, I am listening only when I want to and I want to listen now," Niki said, sending a text to Max.

It actually wasn't the first text she sent him today. Niki tried to make him snap out of the sadness and think about something else. She had no idea why he was like this, but she tried her best to cheer him up.

He didn't read any of them.

"Dunno why ur telling me abt ur daddy issues, I can't understand that. I'm 2 normal 4 that," Niki messaged Ema.

Ema looked at her cellphone and read the text, glaring. "Really? Too normal for that? And why are you texting me? I'm standing right next to you!"

"Well, sorry, I'm better at writing. ...well, I have issues with overusing words. So, apart from that, well, I'm normal," Niki replied.

"Issues? Bad excuse... That's why you can't say a sentence without 'well' or 'so'?" Ema wondered.

Niki nodded. "So, I rather text people."

"Understandable. I must say that it is a bit annoying," Ema admitted.

Niki was still focused on the display but nodded again. "Btw, your future boyfriend is heading to us," she said, without looking away.

Ema blushed. "Miharu?"

"I've never said his name..." Niki murmured, smirking.

The rich girl glared at her before Michael who really walked over to them spoke up, she then glanced at him.

"Hey, you two!"

"Hi, Miharu," Ema said, smiling. He smiled back as he received a text message. When he looked at it, he glared at Niki confusedly. "I'm right here, Nicole."

A while later, Zoe, Sue, Amy, and Alice got in the classroom, everyone noticed; everyone except for one.

The class gathered around them, happy to see Zoe after several weeks; she's very popular in their class, so they all noticed her absence.

The people made Amy and Alice nervous; they aren't used to being a center of attention.

"You're back!"

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?" They all kept asking.

Sue pushed her classmates away from Zoe. "Alright, calm the hell down and leave girl some personal space!"

"What are you, her bodyguard?" Ema asked her cousin.

"Hell yes!" Sue snapped and hugged Zoe.

"Um... Sue, didn't you mention a personal space?"

"Let's go." Sue led Zoe away from the crowd, her arm around her shoulders, leaving Amy and Alice behind.

Amy sighed sadly. Alice patted on her shoulder, smiling, but since she couldn't say anything, Amy just walked away with a sad frown on her face.

—

On the other side of the city, Sabi and Andy were also prepared in their classroom, talking.

"You're still trying to find that girl?" Andy wondered.

"Of course. That's why I agreed to help Dinoman. He wants us to fight the Akuno and since that girl disappeared the same way the rest of the Akuno does, I figured she must be part of them. I'll meet her again sooner or later."

"Why do you want to see her again?" he asked her.

"To thank her," Sabi replied, "and possibly save her from them."

"Save her...?" Andy murmured.

—

At the D-lab, Justin was working on his laptop while Dr. Taylor was playing with Blitz.

Karo, Justin's Dimetrodon, was sitting on his partner's lap, napping.

"Dr. Taylor, how long are you going to keep your identity a secret from the others?" Justin asked, wondering why nobody has recognized Dinoman yet.

"As long as it'll be necessary," Spike replied.

"I see... Lying to your own son is necessary, I guess."

"I've already told you."

"I know, doctor. I am glad you have not given up as the others have."

"Even when everybody falls into despair, the hero doesn't give in just like that!"

Justin chuckled. "Mom was right about you."

Spike blushed. "Your mother knows me well... But you are a hero too, Justin."

"M-me...?"

"Yeah! Out of everyone you and Alice haven't given up and you convinced the group to join you. Reese would be proud of you."

Justin's face turned red. "I-I g-guess..."

He looked back at his laptop. _"I wonder how she is doing,"_ he thought.

—

Reese was doing pretty fine. Since Zoe was released from the hospital, there was nothing to worry about. That's what everyone says, but Reese knew that there's still a chance that it isn't over yet. She was worried, she couldn't think straight. She needed to cheer up. There's only one thing that can make her happier than her work.

She needed to fly.

She was on her way to the airport to clear her mind.

After a while, she was piloting a tango, flying around the airport just like every month. She enjoyed the view when suddenly the scene from the park flashed in front of her eyes alongside with some other memories.

 _She was staring into dark evil eyes, hands around her neck tightening._

 _She watched the D-lab getting destroyed._

 _She was looking at a-_

She gasped, hearing a voice in the headset, snapping out. Her hands were shaking, the plane was going down. She got its height back.

 _"Damn it..."_ she thought.

"Reese, is there everything alright?" a male voice asked through the headset.

"Yes, everything's fine," she replied, thinking about what she saw.

—

In the Akuno's underground base, Mary and Drack were plotting, preparing their strategy for the next encounter with the Traveling Forces while Kami visited Damita in the prison.

"How are you?" the older girl asked, sitting across the cell.

"...better than usual..." Damita murmured. Several fresh wounds were on her body.

"I'm sorry," Kami apologized, "I can't let you out. It's still part of your punishment for thwarting the plans."

"I know... It's been worse...Saving that girl was worth it..."

"If you say so."

Damita looked up at her. "Drack and Mary are hurting... another dinosaur...?"

"Very likely," Kami whispered.

"What about Hermano...?"

"Cruz is with Rex, planning something. Though, I have no idea what."

Damita looked sadly down.

Kami panicked. "Don't worry! I'm sure they'll be fine," she assured the girl anxiously. Damita glanced up at her.

"Sorry, I gotta go."

—

The day turned out to be sunny and hot, in a few hours some students from the North School started PE. More specifically, the guys were playing soccer and the girls were watching.

"Why the hell do we have to just look at them?" Sue complained, leaning her back against the fence, her arms crossed.

"So, what's your problem? We have a great view," Niki hummed happily, keeping her eyes on Nicolas only, tapping her hand on her leg because she couldn't text during the class, "oh, gosh, he's so hot!"

Alice, sitting on the ground, glared at her. Niki looked at her. "Huh? Well, don't give me that look... I know he's your brother, but..." She turned back to Nicolas. "He looks great."

Alice sighed.

"Niki's not wrong," Ema admitted, "I mean, a good look is kinda in the Komatsu family." The others looked at her surprisedly. Alice blushed.

"You know, Kyra is so popular mostly thanks to her look and Justin looks cute," Ema continued.

"Woah, cousin, I thought you have a thing for Micheal, not the baby nerd," Sue murmured.

"Oh, quiet," Ema growled.

"Can you two not argue for a few minutes?" Zoe asked, sitting on the fence, annoyed by the cousins.

"Sure, as long as Sue keeps her mouth shut," Ema commented.

"Hey-!" Sue was about to snap at her cousin, but Zoe grabbed her shoulder. "Sue, don't." She shook her head. Sue looked at her best friend. "Fine... I'll be good, but only because of you, girl."

"Thanks."

"So, what about you?" Niki asked, looking at Zoe, Sue, Amy, and Alice, "do you have a crush among the guys from our class?"

Alice blushed, looking away. The others noticed. "Rex?" they giggled teasingly, making her blush more. She covered her face.

"Well, you two would be cute together if he was still here," Niki said.

"I thought Rex has a crush on Zoe," Ema admitted. The pink-haired's face turned red. "And Max too."

"The hell you say?!" Sue snapped, a bit of jealousy in her voice.

"I don't think that Zoe has a crush on neither Max or Rex though," Amy whispered.

Zoe looked down at her. "Thank you."

Amy smiled at her.

"Why the hell are we even talking about the guys?" Sue wondered.

"So, what else would you like to talk about then?" Niki questioned.

"Dunno..." Sue replied casually, "we keep mumbling here 'bout the 'hot' guys. Why can't we talk about hot girls instead to make it fair?"

"Wait, what?" Ema glared at her confusedly.

"I think Zoe's the hottest girl here," Sue cooed, grinning.

"Agreed..." Amy nodded.

"R-really...?" Zoe blushed again.

"Hell yes!"

"Oh, girls~!" sounded not far away. Kyra ran to the girls in a tight tracksuit, not wearing a bra for sure.

"Well, talking about hot..." Niki chuckled.

Alice facepalmed herself, embarrassed by her sister.

"Ally, are you okay?" Kyra wondered worriedly. Alice nodded repeatedly, covering her face.

Then some guys from Kyra's class whistled at her adoringly. She looked at them, smiling innocently. She turned back to the girls. "Guys seem to be flirty today. Maybe because of the good weather?"

"Or maybe it's because of what you're wearing or not wear to be specific," Zoe pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Kyra asked confusedly, tilting her head to the side.

"Damn, she dumb," Sue murmured.

Suddenly, they heard more whistling. Their upperclassmen turned their attention from Kyra to another girl, even Cole.

She had long pink hair just like Zoe, emerald eyes, rosy cheeks, chest comparable with Kyra's.

"Damn, she hot," Sue mumbled as her eyes fell to the girl.

"Um... Who's that?" Amy asked quietly.

"Kamila," Kyra replied, "she's my classmate and used to be my best friend until Cole kissed her and... you know..."

"Kamila?" Niki wondered, "so, you mean Kami Ike?" Kyra nodded. "Well, she's like the second most popular girl in the school after Kyra."

"Not only that; she's one of the rich kids of the city," Ema added, "I've seen her on one of my father's parties. She always comes all alone and nobody knows where she lives, as if she has no family, no home."

"Posh, popular, and pretty? So, a high school girl stereotype," Zoe said, not amazed.

"Girl, you mad 'cause she stole your hair color," Sue joked, "guess you two buy a dye in the same store."

"What are you talking about?" Zoe asked her offendedly, "I don't dye my hair."

Sue's eyes widened. "Seriously? That pink's natural?"

"You didn't know that?" Amy wondered.

"Of course not!" Ogata snapped, "this is real life, not some anime. People aren't usually born with pink hair!" She turned to her best friend. "I thought you and Reese dyed your hair, girl; that's why you two don't share any hair color of your parents."

Zoe shook her head.

 _"Crap, I liked to imagine you two with brown hair..."_ Sue thought to herself.

—

Back in the D-team, Justin was analyzing Dr. Taylor's iron plate he uses to summon Blitz.

"This is interesting," Justin said, his eyes focused on the screen of his laptop, a lollipop in his mouth; it usually helps him think.

"What is it?" Dr. Taylor wondered, looking over the boy's shoulder.

"I have never seen so small and technologically advanced device in my life. It seems to generate its own electric power which triggers activation of the cards. This metal is not iron; it looks like it, but it is not. Maybe a metal amalgamation? No... This metal is pure, but it does not match any known element. Where have you found this?" Justin asked, holding his chin.

Dr. Taylor looked nervously away. He can't tell Justin anything about Cruz or any connection to the guardians and the Akuno. He was about to answer when the research on the screen disappeared.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"We have just lost connection with the analyzer," Justin mumbled, looking down at the cables. The one cable that was supposed to connect Justin's laptop with the analyzer was unplugged; Karo the Dimetrodon had it in his mouth, probably tried to bite it.

Justin sighed. "Seriously? Karo, y-you are not a hamster," he told him, "you cannot just bite cables." He got up and walked to his partner, but he tripped and fell to the floor. Karo looked at him and fell purposely down just like Justin did.

"Are you trying to mock me?" Justin wondered sadly. Karo titled his head confusedly.

"I don't think he's doing that to make fun of you," Dr. Taylor told him.

"Then why?" Justin stood up.

Karo got to his feet, wagging his tail.

"He's trying to be like you."

"Like me? Why would anyone want that?" Justin asked quietly.

—

It was a few hours later, Wendy was laying in a hospital bed, holding her newborn son in her arms. Jeff, her boyfriend, was sitting next to the bed, smiling.

"Gerard's so sweet, I can't keep my eyes off him," she murmured.

"Me too..." Jeff chuckled, tears in his eyes.

Wendy sighed. "I've never seen you like this."

Her boyfriend looked at her confusedly, blushing. "Really? Am I that heartless?"

"Maybe..." Wendy replied teasingly.

"Not funny, babe."

A smile formed on baby Gerard's face. "He thinks it is," Wendy giggled.

Then the door opened. Matt and Zakuro entered.

"Hey, Wendy. You guys have a visitor," Matt told them.

"Hi!" Zakuro waved slightly.

Wendy smiled at her. An awkward silence filled the room once Zakuro's and Jeff's eyes met. What is a murderer like him doing here? She bit her lip glancing away from him.

He got up. "I'll leave you alone, 'kay?" Wendy nodded and he headed outside, Matt followed him.

"So, you're finally a mother, how do you feel?" Zakuro asked her friend, sitting beside the bed.

"Great," Wendy replied honestly, "a little tired, but it's still amazing."

"Yeah, it is. I wasn't expecting _him_ to show up."

"Zakuro... I know what he's done to you, but he regrets that."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Zakuro snapped.

"I understand..."

Zakuro smiled at the baby. "He's adorable," she whispered.

"I know, right?"

"If there's anything you need, advice, babysitting Gerard, I'm here for you."

"I know..."

—

The school finished and everyone headed home. Ema was waiting in front of the school for the limo to pick her up.

Michael walked over to her as always.

"Hey, Wada."

She looked at him. "My father's going to be pissed if he finds out I'm talking to you," she told him.

"I don't care. We're best friends."

"We used to be..."

Michael's eyes widened. He quickly grabbed her hand. "You are still my friend, Wada. I care about you and I'd do anything for you."

"Miharu... It's not that I don't care, but my father-"

"Your father can't control your life forever; you can't let him! I don't want to hear what he wants. I want to know what you want because that's what matters in your life."

She was about to reply when the limo arrived, stopping near them.

"I have to go." She got in the car. "And, Miharu... Congrats for your little nephew."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She closed the door and the limo drove away.

Michael stood there alone, watching the car.

—

Time passed and passed.

It was evening when Rex finally decided to go back to Denmark and see Bel again. He waited for so long because of the different time zones.

He and Cruz teleported to the place where the Dimetrodon appeared. She was there, sitting on a bench.

Bel looked up and smiled when she noticed Rex. "You're back!" She got up.

"Yeah..." Rex murmured shyly, blushing.

"Amigo, you've never mentioned she's so pretty," Cruz said, smirking.

Bel's cheeks turned red. "You think I'm pretty?" she asked nervously.

"It's not that he just thinks that," Rex admitted, "you are." He blushed more when he realized what he said. There was an awkward silence for a minute.

"A-anyway, Bel, this is Cruz; Cruz, Bel," the blonde introduced them.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mi Belleza." Cruz bowed.

Bel blushed more.

"Bel, I came here to thank you for the things you did for me before," Rex told her.

"You're welcome. I wanted to talk to you actually... about your friends."

Rex frowned and looked away.

"What happened between you and them?" she asked him.

"Nothing... They...they have nothing to do with it..."

"Then why are you keeping them away?"

"Because I don't want to hurt them. That's what the Akuno wants... But I have to do that to fix my mistake."

"Listen, Rex." Bel grabbed his shoulders. "It doesn't matter what happened, but you can't fix the past, only build a better future. You have your friends to help you. I'm sure they'd want that."

Rex was looking in her eyes, thinking about what she means by that.


	10. Crystal Legend

**January 2008**

Everything was over.

Dinosaurs, aliens, time travelers.

Everyone was gone.

Only things left were just memories and a time machine left floating on the water. That, of course, didn't get unnoticed by the government.

From the evidence gathered by them, they summoned two specific people.

As they were standing in an office of the head of the government's department focused on suspicious events, a young man, not even thirty years old with slicked-back black hair, golden eyes and a suit, waited there as well. The door opened and brunette mayor Wada with a greenish-haired man in a black suit.

"So, Shuryo, are you finally going to tell me why you brought me here?" Wada asked with a rather hostile tone.

The man apparently named Shuryo sat down, letting everyone else standing.

"Dr. Spike Taylor, Dr. Reese Drake, I am sure you know why you were called here," he said, ignoring the mayor.

"No clue," Reese lied. She already suspected questioning about the events that started a year ago.

"Throughout the past year, we gathered information about incidents and all the evidence points towards you two being involved."

"Evidence?" Dr. Taylor wondered.

"We have footage of your son and sister with their friend on the places of the dinosaur attacks," Shuryo told them.

"That doesn't prove anything," Dr. Taylor objected, trying to lead him off the track.

Shuryo grinned. "And what about photos where they're actually taking part in city destructions?"

Neither of them reacted to that, not to let him know the truth.

Shuryo noticed it and his grin widened. "Shinori, presentation, please." "Yes, boss." The young man nodded, turning on a projector.

Several photos of dinosaur battles, each of them including one of three children with a Triceratops, Carnotaurus or Parasaurolophus by their side.

Reese kept a stone face, but Dr. Taylor looked a little nervous; they had no idea what does the man want to accomplish or what can happen to them when he finds the truth.

"Is this enough evidence?"

"Shuryo, what are you trying?" Wada asked him.

"They caused the destruction of the city. These photos aren't the only thing. The reason why we've chosen to talk to you two specifically are those space ships. They both 'targeted' the D-lab, the place you own. Anything to say to that?"

"And what are you going to get by pinning us to those events?" Dr. Taylor questioned, smashing his hands against Shuryo's desk, losing his temper, "is having us confess getting you something?"

Shuryo stood up with a mischevious smirk on his face. "My intentions are none of your business, doctor, but I can assure you that I am succeeding with getting the truth." He smirked more.

"Mr. Shuryo, please, realize the D-lab is a paleontology laboratory," Reese spoke up, keeping cool, "whoever was controlling those ships was interested only in the fossils we have. They sent out their droids to get the fossils as they did at several dig sites a few days ago, but we refused to cooperate, so they used their dinosaurs and destroyed the laboratory, fortunately, nobody was hurt. The laboratory was later recovered into its original state by one of the ships for unknown reasons. And for your other 'evidence', the kids are big fans of dinosaurs and wanted to see all battles closely; we warned them it's dangerous, but as you can expect from prepubescents, they never listen."

Shuryo glared at her, not happy with the answer he was given. He hoped to get people responsible for all the chaos and then use their own power against them.

"If you two have nothing to do with that, then the ship that was left behind is going to fall under our government," Shuryo exclaimed with a mocking tone, "we would appreciate a help from the ship's owners to learn more about its origins, but since you know nothing, there is no reason discussing this matter. You can leave."

Dr. Taylor and Reese headed away when they heard Shuryo's evil chuckle. "You know, one day, Japan could have a new more powerful army."

They looked back at him.

"Who do you think would win a war against an army full of dinosaurs?" his question woke up anger.

Dr. Taylor was about to rush to Shuryo and punch, but Reese and Shinori stopped him, holding him back.

"Boss, this is enough," Shinori said.

"He's right, Shuryo," Wada told the man, "I'm still the one who gives orders here; don't forget about that."

"We'll see how long it'll stay that way, Wada."

The mayor Wada turned to the D-lab workers. "You maybe have nothing to do with this stuff, but we'd need a hand with that ship. I'm sure the famous young genius doctor Reese Drake could figure out its purpose. What do you say? You two would report your research of the place to us and Shuryo's best agent-" Wada looked at the young man. "-Sora Shinori here would look over your every visit there."

"That doesn't sound bad, Mr. Wada," Dr. Taylor replied. Reese nodded. "Agreed," Shinori said.

Wada glared at Shuryo. "And you."

Shuryo crossed his arms, glancing away. "You're still the boss of this city," he mumbled.

"Alright then, we've escorted the ship behind the city and we were able to turn on its stealth mode; Sora will lead you two there."

All three of them nodded and headed away.

—

They were walking through the corridors of Backland; they were the only ones there.

"Guys, I'm sorry for my boss," the young man Sora Shinori apologized, "I never knew what he wants."

"It's okay, Sora. It isn't your fault," Dr. Taylor told him.

"Fortunately, mayor Wada has a common sense," Sora said in relief.

"I wouldn't say exactly that," Reese exclaimed quietly, examining the place

"What do you mean by that?" Sora wondered.

"Just some gossip from my little sister about Wada's daughter."

They continued walking.

"What even is this place?" Sora asked them.

Dr. Taylor looked at him. "Can you keep it a secret from Shuryo and Wada?"

"Sure. I wouldn't betray fellow guardians."

"This is Backland," Spike replied.

"What...?" Sora murmured.

"A time machine," Reese said.

"You're joking."

There is no way that's true!

She glared at the young man, light reflecting from her glasses so her eyes couldn't be seen. "Do I look like I am?"

Sora shook. "N-no... You actually look...kinda scary..." he mumbled with a trembling voice.

"Good." She sighed and walked ahead. "You wanted unbelievable truth, not believable lie."

"Is she always like that?" Sora wondered.

"Some times," Dr. Taylor told him.

"Oh man..."

—

 **June 2010**

A black-haired couple was lying in their bed, sleeping. They were both 30 years old, Sora Shinori and Zakuro Shiraki-Shinori.

He had his arms wrapped around her, while she was snoring softly.

Then a phone rang. Sora quickly opened his eyes, letting go of his wife, sitting up.

"What the...?" He answered the phone when he saw his boss' name on the display.

"Hello...?"

"Shinori, are you sleeping?" the voice from the other side asked.

"Yes, I am. What do you expect when you call at four in the morning?"

"Any new information about the ship's research?" Shuryo wondered, ignoring Sora's question.

"No. Why are you asking all over the sudden?" Sora growled.

"The history repeats itself. More dinosaurs are appearing and I want them." Sora frowned hearing those words. "Make sure to get as much info about that ship and get those dinosaurs, especially that T-Rex and Triceratops."

The call ended and Sora sighed. He looked at sleeping Zakuro. He kissed her forehead and got up, dressing up.

Somebody must put an end to Shuryo's doing. When Sora started working for him, he had no idea what kind of man Shuryo would become.

He put on his suit, noticing a photo laying around. He picked it up. It was a photo of a teenage girl blue hair and just as blue eyes. He smiled sadly and hid the photo in a pocket on his chest; he put her near to his heart where he's carried her all those years.

He was about to go the Wadas and tell the mayor about Shuryo, but a female voice stopped him.

"Sora? Where...where are you going...?"

He looked back, Zakuro was sitting on the bed with her glasses on, frowning. "Zakuro..."

"You're leaving again, huh? How long it's been since I last woke up with you laying by my side? Is it your work again?" she questioned him, "truth please."

"Shuryo started that craziness once again; I have to tell Wada about it, I have to stop him," he replied.

She gave him the sad eyes. They were like knives stabbing his heart repeatedly.

"Guess I don't have to do it right away..." he murmured and walked over to the bed. She took his hand, smiling.

"I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but don't put your work in the first place."

"But, Zakuro, I-"

"Or at least tell me you're leaving," she told him harshly. He sat down. "I don't want to wake up wondering where you are or if you're going to come back. If you want to fight against Shuryo try it a sneaky way; sabotage him."

"You've always been the sneaky one," he said.

"Shut up. I just want to spend more time with you. You've left on our night once because of your work; I don't want that to repeat."

"What's wrong? You don't see me complaining about you going to work."

"Oh, shut up," she murmured and kissed him.

"Zakuro..." He gazed at her adoringly.

"What?"

"You're really good at this even after 15 years," he told her.

"At what? Kissing or making you shut up?" she wondered.

"Both."

"I need to be good if I want to live with you, especially at the second one," she said, smirking.

"Oh, I love you, geek."

"I love you too, idiot."

They shared a kiss and looked back at each other.

"And what if I make it up to you for that one night?" he whispered.

"Why only for one?" she chuckled.

He brushed her raven hair from her face. "As you wish sweetie~"

—

The next morning, Zakuro was drinking coffee and sitting at the table with Shadow the Lufengosaurus laying on her lap. Both of their sons were already at school and Sora was still sleeping.

She stroked Shadow's back gently, he purred.

"Morning, sweetie," Sora called, walking over to her. He kissed her cheek.

"Good morning. Had a good night?" she asked with a teasing grin on her face.

"Amazing night~" He kissed her forehead. "Only thanks to you of course. We have some time for ourselves now; what about we continue?" He leaned closer to her to kiss her on the lips, closing his eyes. Zakuro smirked and got up, Shadow jumping down off her lap. She headed away.

Sora stopped when he was about to meet her lips because she wasn't there; he opened his eyes, blinking at the empty chair. He looked at his wife with a slight frown.

"Sorry. Gotta go," she giggled.

"So, you're complaining the whole time that I leave all the time and you're ditching me now?" he groaned.

"At least you know how it feels," she replied.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for doing that," he told her, "how can I make it up to you?"

"Figure out yourself; can't make it easy for you, can I?"

"Geek, you're horrible," he murmured.

"I love you too, honey," she said, walking away while waving at him. Sora noticed that her other hand was clenched in a fist, shaking. "Hey, Zak?"

She stopped and looked back at him sadly. "Don't call me that..." She glanced away.

"Sorry, forgot. Zakuro, is something wrong?" he asked her, walking over to her, touching her shoulders gently.

"It isn't that important. I need to hurry; I must visit someone before I go to the museum," she explained, but that wasn't really enough answer for Sora.

"Visit who?" he wondered.

She looked him in the eyes. "My dad-" She quickly covered her mouth.

"Why did you want to keep that a secret from me?" he asked, "you're horrible at keeping secrets."

Zakuro moved the hand from her mouth. "I didn't want to bother you," she told him, raising her eyebrow, giving him 'seriously' look, "plus you leave all the time without telling me."

"Okay, I get it, you don't have to remind me. Can I make it up to by coming with you?"

"Maybe," Zakuro said and turned around, "get dressed. I gotta hurry to work after that."

"Got it!" Sora grinned.

—

They soon got to the graveyard. Zakuro put flowers to a gravestone with a name 'Haru Shiraki', who died in 1994 according to the label, on it.

"Hi, dad," Zakuro whispered, kneeling down, "it's been a while since I last visited you. I had a lot of work. Dengyo finally left the Akuno, which means we all are in danger, but we can handle it, don't worry. As long as we don't do anything unnecessary we'll be fine. The guardians don't seem to plan anything against the Akuno yet and they don't plan to tell the owners the truth about the crystals either. I think telling everything to Dengyo and Kenji was a good idea; they are prepared ahead of the others."

Sora was standing behind her, listening to what his wife had to say to her dead father.

After a while, Zakuro got up, taking off her glasses to wipe her tears away. Sora rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'm sure he'd be proud if he could see you now. You grew from a pretty girl to a beautiful woman."

Zakuro put on her glasses. "Yeah...he would be proud...he raised me well; he believed that I can live on my own when he died. I was only 14 when it happened and I was able to take care of myself only thanks to him..."

"I know," Sora whispered.

"I lost everything with him... My mother left us after I was born...She didn't even care about me..."

"I know how it feels to lose someone..." Sora looked at the photo he keeps in his pocket. "Even if Hikari wasn't everything in my life, it still hurt. You didn't want Kenji to grow up without a mother as you did, that's why you stayed with me, right?"

Zakuro looked at him surprisedly. "Maybe from the beginning. I was still mad at you, but Dengyo and Kenji needed a full family. I forgave you after a few years and fell in love with you again, only thanks to our sons."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm thankful to them for that." He kissed her cheek.

"I gotta go to work," Zakuro said, frowning, "bye, dad..." She turned away from the gravestone, walking away.

—

It was 8 in the morning when a class full of young teens walked in Sanjo's museum, meeting their today's guide.

It was a black-haired, brown-eyed 30 years old woman in dark jeans, a white short-sleeved T-shirt and brown vest. Her hair was short in the back with two long locks in the front. The light from the Sun shined through the windows and reflected from her glasses. Her name was Zakuro Shiraki-Shinori

One of the students stopped walking when he noticed her. Dengyo Shiraki, a green-eyed boy in blue jeans, a golden shirt and a brown coat over it, holding a book in his hand. His pitch-black long hair was in a ponytail that was laying on his right shoulder. His usually frown lips formed into a smirk. He walked over to the woman.

"Out of all people."

"You had to get stuck with me for today," Zakuro finished, chuckling, holding her hand on her waist, "can I act like your mother or should I act like I know nothing about you?"

"Act like my mother," Dengyo replied.

"As you wish. I just don't want you to be embarrassed by your mommy," she grinned at him.

"I can't be embarrassed by you."

"If you say so." She hugged her son tightly. He smiled and hugged her back.

A boyish chuckled sounded behind him. They looked at the group behind Dengyo.

"Looks like you aren't tough after all," Andy said with a grin on his face. Dengyo rolled his eyes.

"I must agree with Andy," Sabi added, "when was the last time I've seen you smile, Den?"

"I don't know."

"I know!" Kenji, Dengyo's spike-haired brother, replied, holding up his camera, "I've got it recorded!"

The boy was only a week younger than his brother. His eyes were as golden as his father's and his hair was as blue as his real mother's, wearing black trousers and a shirt with cyan and black stripes. He had two black lines drawn on each face cheek.

"It seems I have you guys and your class with me for today, so, I hope nothing breaks this time," Zakuro told the teens, looking specifically at Sabi.

"Yes, ma'am..." Sabi looked down.

"It isn't really her fault," Andy defended his crush, "Sabi just attracts trouble."

"That explains why I can't get rid of you guys," Sabi murmured.

"I'll make sure nothing happens," Dengyo reassured his mother.

"Thanks. Alright, punks, let's go learn something new," Zakuro told the class, her hands on her waist, a huge smile on her face. Some of the teens rolled their eyes annoyedly, the others didn't seem to care or were happy that they didn't have to be at school.

They were walking through an exposition of Sanjo's history. Zakuro was telling about its history.

"Sanjo City itself is 100 years old; it always hasn't been known by that name. At the end of the 19th century, a town named Greyholt was founded by Sikers Grey. In 1910 there was a fire in the town and as it was rebuilt it got renamed."

As they walked, a seemingly fake red crystal caught Sabi's attention. She stopped, looking at it. A label under it said: "Legendary fire crystal". Zakuro noticed and stopped.

Sabi looked at her. "This crystal was the cause of the fire in Greyholt, am I right?"

Zakuro nodded. "Yes. It is one of 14 legendary crystals Sikers Grey owned."

"Legendary crystals?" Andy looked at her confusedly.

"You don't know?" Kenji wondered.

"They're from the Greyholt legend," Dengyo said.

"Greyholt legend?"

"Are you seriously oblivious to a history of your home-town?" the black-haired boy asked Andy annoyedly.

"Yes, I am. Then tell me, smartass," Andy snapped, clenching his fists.

"Andy!" Sabi grabbed Andy's shoulder, glaring at him. "No need to get aggressive," she told him. He looked at her, releasing his fists. "Sorry..."

"It's okay not to have a knowledge of this story; you don't have to be mean, Den." Zakuro gave her a reproaching glare.

"Okay. I am sorry too."

The rest of the class seemed to be distracted by talking or looking at their cellphones; they simply didn't care.

Zakuro looked at the four that still paid some attention to her.

"According to the legend, there are 14 powerful crystals, each of them represents a different ability, space, fire, sun, stars, earth, ice, time, moon, metal, water, grass, wind, sound, and lighting," she started, "it is unknown how Sikers obtained the crystals, but he used their power. The power was too big for a normal human to hold and one day he was showing off the power of the fire crystal." She pointed at the fake crystal. "The fire got out off his hands, burning part of Greyholt and killing his wife Ronwe in process."

Zakuro's hand sank into a pocket of her vest, grabbing something for a while.

"Sikers was desperate. Despite the crystals' power, they weren't able to bring the dead back to life. He tried everything to bring Ronwe back; he found a woman named Zepar, who calls herself the queen of darkness. He asked her for help and she agreed, but she wanted all the crystals. Knowing that giving up power like that is insane, he refused, so, she asked for something different, his daughter Harc."

Zakuro let go of whatever was in her pocket and looked at Andy's shocked expression. She continued.

"This is where the versions of the story go in different directions... Some people don't believe any of this is true, but I do. I've heard lots of stories about the legend from...my father...and practically lived through its consequences-I mean-" Zakuro covered her mouth, stopping herself from telling them more.

"A-anyway, even if I believe in the legend, I'm not here to talk about speculation, but facts." She turned around and continued guiding the class. Everyone but Sabi and Andy followed her.

"Sun, stars, and earth?" Sabi murmured.

Andy looked at her. "Huh?"

"The abilities of the crystals fit the attributes of our stone plates," she told him.

"Can't it be just a coincidence?" Andy asked her.

She shook her head. "No, because the other dinosaurs that appeared in the past and now used attacks that very closely represent other abilities. And in addition to that... that woman Zepar... I think I've heard that name before in a different context."

"So, you think those crystals could have something to do with the dinos?"

"Maybe." Sabi smiled at him. "We'll wait and see."

Andy smiled back, nodding.

"Hey! Hurry up, slowpokes!" Kenji called them.

"Coming!" Sabi and Andy rejoined their class.

Several hours passed and the tour ended. Before the class left, Zakuro had a talk with her sons.

"I wonder if they realize anything about the crystals," Zakuro said.

"Probably. They aren't stupid." Dengyo looked to Andy and Sabi chatting.

"Why don't we just tell them the truth?" Kenji wondered. Both Zakuro and Dengyo looked at him.

"Seriously?"

"We can't do that. I promised the rest of the guardians to keep this a secret," Zakuro told Kenji.

"That didn't seem to stop you from telling it to us," Dengyo reminded her.

"We agreed to introduce our owners to the truth when we consider it to be the right time," his mother explained, "Kenji can be right about this. Den, you should at least warn them about the Akuno. If Sabina experienced Mary's tricks and they both faced her and Drack, they deserve the truth."

Dengyo looked up at her. "Okay."

—

In the afternoon, Sabi and Andy visited the Shinoris.

They were looking around and noticed two photos of people they've never seen.

Andy's eyes fell on a photo of a 16 years old blue-haired girl. "Who's that?" he asked. Kenji turned to him. "That's my mom," he replied, "Hikari Yori."

"That young? No offense."

Kenji scratched his cheek. "She and Zakuro had me and Den with our dad when they were just teens." He became silent for a while, looking away, tears filling his eyes. "...my mom died after I was born...from what I know she was killed."

"Crap!" Andy sweatdropped, realizing what it must have caused to Kenji. He's never seen him so down. "Sorry, Ken..."

Kenji shook the sadness off as nothing happened and grinned at his friend. "It's okay."

Sabi looked closely at Hikari's photo as if she knew those blue eyes, but she couldn't remember. Kenji had his father's eyes, so it couldn't be from him.

Then she looked at a photo of a dark-haired man with a black-haired girl her age with glasses. Sabi glanced at Zakuro. "You and your father, right?"

Zakuro raised her eyebrows. "Yes, but how do you know?"

"Despite having a different hairstyle, the girl on the photo is definitely you and I remember your sudden silence when you noticed mentioned your father. You must have been really close."

"Woah, you're paying attention and you have a good memory," Zakuro praised the girl. Sabi blushed. "T-thank you..."

Sora walked in the room with a wide smile. "Hey there! Whatcha doing here?"

Zakuro walked over to him and whispered something. Sora looked at her in shock. "What?! Is that a good idea?" Zakuro only nodded.

Andy and Sabi looked at each other confusedly. Then Dengyo told them to sit on the couch. They headed to it, but Shadow ran happily around them; Andy dodged him, unfortunately, Sabi didn't. She tripped over Shadow, falling down. Andy caught her in time. They stared at each other for a while, blushing.

Sabi shook her head and let go of Andy, straightening up.

They sat on the couch.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we wanted to talk to you," Dengyo said and they nodded, "...it's very complicated to explain..." He sighed. "Mary, the girl who controlled Sabi is a part of a group called the Akuno. This group is led by the queen of darkness, Zepar, the woman from Greyholt legend."

"She's real?!" Andy asked.

"Let me finish..." Den glared at him. "The Akuno's never had good intentions. Zepar forces Mary, her brother Drack and many others to do the worst things a human can do. People died just because Zepar wanted."

"Den, how do you know that?" Sabi wondered, already knowing the answer.

"I used to be part of the Akuno," Dengyo replied.

"What?! Y-you're one of them!" Andy snapped at him, standing up and grabbing his shirt collar. "Did you know what they planned? Did you know what they wanted to do to Sabi?!"

"Don't touch me." Dengyo glared at Andy calmly and took his hand, making him let go. "I had no idea. I left before any of that happened. I left right after Rex joined them."

"Rex?" Sabi's dark eyes widened. "Rex Owen?" Dengyo nodded slowly.

"Who's that?" Kenji looked at his brother and then at Sabina confusedly.

"Rex is my former classmate from North School; my friends told me he disappeared two years ago. I thought he moved back to America," Sabi explained.

"He didn't," Den said quietly, shaking his head slowly, "he traveled into his time."

"Into his time?"

"His real parents are technically responsible for all the dinosaur events that stopped two years ago; they're from the future."

"Okay..." Sabi murmured skeptically, "that's not the weirdest thing I've heard. But how can you know that?"

"I was sent to spy on the D-team by Zepar," Den told them, "they were the center of the chaos in a way."

"Why were you with them? Why would you do that, Dengyo?" Andy questioned his friend.

"To spy on the Akuno. I was there to get some information from Zepar, but she never shares her true intentions with anyone. I used to be a spy for the guardians of the legendary crystals."

"Wait, wait, wait. Why are you bringing up the crystals and who the frick are guardians?" Andy was getting more confused the more Den was talking.

"I believe this is the part where you step in," Dengyo told his parents, looking at them.

"You really want us to tell them?" Sora murmured.

"Not everything, of course."

"Alright. It perfectly ties to the legend," Zakuro started, "after the whole Greyholt incident the crystals were separated and given to people now known as guardians. The crystals were passed from person to person throughout the years and then some of these crystals ended up under our protection."

"Zakuro and I are one of 10 living guardians; we're all fighting against the Akuno, so Den volunteered as a spy," Sora continued.

"Those crystals are all related to the stone plates we found, am I right?" Sabi asked, showing them her stone plate of stars. Andy looked at her and showed even his plate.

"Absolutely." Den nodded. "I gave you guys the stone plates according to your crystals."

"Our crystals?"

"We are the owners of the crystals," Kenji joined, "you two, Den, me; we're the owners of the legendary crystals, born to fight evil!"

Andy and Sabi glared at him, not understanding.

"Give me a sec!" Kenji ran away, looking for something.

"He's telling the truth," Dengyo said, "I gave you the stones and the cards according to your crystals. We and the other owners are the ones born to master the power of the 16 crystals to defeat Zepar."

"Weren't there 14 crystals?" Andy remembered.

"But those were only the ones owned by Grey," Sabi told him, "it sounds crazy, but it also fits together with my memories from Mary's attack..." She touched her head, trying to remember. "She wanted my crystal, Zepar wants them..." She sighed. Andy touched her shoulder, hoping to calm her down.

"Found it!" Kenji called, rushing back with a white crystal in his hand. Sabi looked it carefully, a memory she doesn't know flashed in front of her eyes. It was a light blue crystal, a tall black-haired boy was holding it.

Sabi gasped. "What... What are these memories? I've never seen this. Never..."

Dengyo walked over to her, hugging her. She blushed. "It's okay."

"Is it okay to remember things that have never happened to me?" Sabi asked with a rather venomous tone, pushing Den away, "I see a guy and a crystal I've never seen before in my life."

"Huh? A guy? Black hair and just as black eyes? A pale skin? A dark green shirt?"

Sabi nodded slowly.

"Cruz..." Dengyo mumbled.

"Who?"

"He's a part of the Akuno. Was the crystal you've seen light blue?" Dengyo wondered.

"Yes... I think," Sabi replied.

"You very likely have Mary's memories."

"You're kidding," Andy commented, "how?"

"Sabina's and Mary's minds must have combined when she controlled her," Dengyo theorized, "Sabina shares Mary's memories and knowledge up until the point of their separation; Mary probably suffers from the same side effect."

Sabi frowned and facepalmed. "What did you get me into, Den?"

"It isn't my fault you were chosen as an owner."

Sabi looked at Sora and Zakuro.

"It's not our fault either," Sora objected, "we're only supposed to protect our respective owners."

"We gotta deal with the Akuno then," Andy said determinately. They nodded.

"I don't really plan to save the world," Sabi told him, "my priority is to find that girl. She saved my life."

"Dark hair and red eyes, right?" Dengyo asked her.

"Yeah. Do you know her?! Is she okay?!"

"I haven't seen her since I watched your battle with Mary. Her name is Damita Makuto."

"Damita Makuto," Sabi repeated quietly.


	11. Our Harmful Past

**Warning, this chapter contains emotional manipulation, obsession, self-harm.**

—

 **July 2005**

A woman with bloody-red hair was sitting on a bench in front of the hospital, smoking, tears running down her cheeks.

"Lucy?" a female voice called her. Lucy looked behind her, seeing a black-haired woman with one eye red and the other black.

"Hey, Wendy..."

Wendy sighed and sat beside Lucy. "I'm sorry..."

"It wasn't your fault; he lost too much blood, right...?"

"He did." Wendy nodded.

"How...how did it happen?" Lucy asked.

"They brought a shot man here. When I found out it's Komatsu I had to do something, but we couldn't save him. It was too late; he bled out. I've watched him dying in front of my eyes."

"So, if Kyra called for help and didn't run home he'd still be alive..."

"It's very likely," Wendy murmured, "she must have emotional trauma from that. She saw him get shot. Kyra needs professional help."

"No." Lucy shook her head. "I know my children. Kyra can't be without her family; a mental hospital would make things probably even worse for her. I'll do my best to take care of her, I may even stop working for a while if it'll be needed. I'll give Justin's crystal to another guardian to protect it and I'll be only Kyra's guardian." She burst into tears, throwing the cigarette on the ground, stepping on it. "How could that fucker do that to me...? How could he leave me?"

"He didn't plan to die," Wendy reminded her.

"I know..." Lucy buried her face in her hands. "That makes it worse... I can't even blame him for that... I wanna punch that guy who shot him so bad. But who knows if the police will ever find them; only Kyra saw the culprit. Any reminder of that could start... _that_..." She didn't know how to call Kyra's state of craziness caused by witnessing her father's deadly injury.

She still heard Kyra's voice crying: _"I wanna see him again. I wanna die! Please! Kill me!"_

"She'll have to face it again one way or another," Wendy told her.

"I know..."

"I'm here for you anytime you need it, Lucy." Wendy hugged her.

Lucy looked at her in surprise, but smiled and hugged back.

"I know. Thanks."

—

 **June 2010**

A red-haired teacher in her 40's was sitting at her desk in her office, tapping her fingers and having a pen in her mouth as if it was a cigarette. She was looking out at a photograph of her family on the desk, thinking about what she should do with her older son and him bullying others.

The door opened and a woman in a pink childish dress walked in with a stack of papers in her arms.

Lucy looked at her, coughing. "Hi, Michelle."

"Hi, Lucy!" Michelle smiled at her brightly. "You know that isn't a cigarette in your mouth."

"Yeah. I just need to smoke and if the headmaster catches me smoking on the school grounds again, I'm fired."

"Then don't smoke," Michelle told her.

She walked over to her desk when one of the papers fell to the floor and she slipped on it. She fell down, dropping the papers.

Lucy rushed to her, reaching her hand to her, helping her up. "You're so clumsy," she chuckled. Michelle looked up redhead's smile, taking her hand and standing up.

A paper was laying on her head. Lucy took it; it was an exam signed by Alice Komatsu. She frowned, taking the pen out her mouth and biting her lip. Alice failed another exam. Lucy sighed. "Hey, Mich, how long has Alice been failing tests?"

"For a few weeks now," Michelle told her as she was picking up the papers and pouting, "she isn't just sleepy, she sleeps during lessons."

"Maybe because your lessons are boring," Lucy said, spinning the pen around her fingers and looking closely at her daughter's exam.

Michelle burst into tears, an ugly frown took over her face. "WHAAAA! I'm not boring!" she cried while waving her arms around like a little child, "how dare you to call me boring?! Everything I do is young, cheerful and funny!"

Lucy tried to hold herself back from laughing, coughing.

"This isn't funny! I'm not boring!" Michelle sobbed.

"You're right," Lucy admitted, "you aren't boring; in fact, you're one of the most interesting people I know."

"Am I...?" Michelle wiped her tears.

Lucy nodded and looked at her. "Definitely. You're very likely the only woman of your age who'd act and dress as a little child."

Michelle pouted at her, making her colleague laugh. "I sure am a magnet on childish people; my childhood friend, my husband, my oldest daughter, you." Lucy looked back at the paper. "Hm..."

There was something wrong; three of her children seemed much busier recently. They never tell her details, so to learn the truth, she must act on her own and there was only one place that came to her mind.

—

Around the same time, Zepar was dealing with her own issues; the newest member of the Akuno was bigger trouble than she expected.

She called his savior to the throne room to talk to her.

 **"Mary, you convinced me not to kill him and now you must do that again,"** Zepar told the ginger, **"he's been useless to us so far. He can't fight his friends. Even when you have him under your control he still manages to break out."**

"I know, your majesty," Mary said and bowed, "since his last mission I've been making a much effective version of the love potion as you ordered me. It should be finished."

 **"Good. Then I think you should test it out. Give him the potion and find somebody he knows; make sure he doesn't break out of the spell when he sees them."**

Mary nodded. "Giving Rexy the potion won't be a problem; he's already under the effect of a weaker one. Plus I think I've got the perfect target to test his loyalty out on."

—

 _"I hate you!" she heard those words resonate in her head while watching that horrifying scene over and over again._

 _It was a storm. A brunette man was standing in front of his other daughter, protecting her while a person facing him was pointing a gun at him; their hand was shaking._

 _"I shouldn't have got so close to you..." a female voice sobbed, "she leaves me no other choice."_

 _"Then leave them-" the man couldn't finish. As he opened his mouth the woman shot. The bullet hit his chest; he was falling to the ground as his daughter cried._

 _Both of his daughters cried._

 _Everything around vanished and Alice was left in darkness crying, hating herself. She knew what was about to happen and she did nothing. Not now, Not before..._

 _She fell to her knees, staring into the ground._

 _She heard footsteps coming closer to her, so she looked up, seeing a blond boy with scars on his face. His eyes were unusually pink. The frown on his face and his blank stare made her shiver. Then his fist moved quickly towards her. She could only scream._

 _"Rex, stop!"_

—

Alice quickly opened her eyes, gasping. She looked around confusedly and found herself in a full classroom.

It was just a dream.

She sighed in relief.

Then somebody patted on her shoulder, she looked behind.

"Hey, everything okay?" Ema asked with a worried looked. Alice only nodded, smiling.

"If you think so..."

—

Once her work was over, the red-haired teacher went to the D-lab to ask Justin a few questions.

She entered the main room and saw her son with his partner Karo, but also a Styracosaurus and a man with a mask.

"Hi, Justin," she said.

The boy quickly turned around in surprise. "Mom! W-what brings you here?"

"There are several things I wanted you to clear up for me. The first one is, who the heck is this guy?" she asked, pointing at Dinoman.

The man sweatdropped, glancing away.

"Well, that is..." Justin murmured, covering his mouth.

"D-Dinoman," the man replied in a pretending voice.

That was enough for Lucy to realize. She smirked, walked over to Dinoman and leaned closer to him. "I've never thought I'd hear that name ever again and yet here we are with you playing Dinoman just like when we were kids, Spike," she said, taking off his mask.

He looked at her, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. "L-Lucy...How did you-"

"You've had Dinoman's alter ego ever since we were six. You think I could ever forget about that?"

He grinned goofily at her.

"Alright, time for explaining you two," Lucy told them.

—

As usually, Ema was waiting in front of the school and Michael walked over to her.

"Hey, Wada."

"Hi, Miharu... You know we can't hang out," she told him immediately.

"I do." He looked at her adoringly. "I've always wondered why does your father force you to wear these fancy clothes and expensive jewels."

"Probably to show off that he's got money," Ema murmured.

Michael sighed. "You don't need any jewels," he said, looking her in the eyes, "you are a jewel."

She blushed. "What...? Miharu, I..."

"Yes, Wada?" Miharu asked, his hopes were up.

"Thanks. That's nice of you."

The limo stopped near them, Ema looked at it. "Sorry, gotta go..." she whispered and got in the car.

"Wada..." He lowered his head, murmuring, "...I love you, Wada..."

—

"You were doing this for a few weeks?" Lucy wondered, "this was your important stuff to do this whole time?" She looked at her son.

"Yes, it was," Justin replied, "somebody had to do this."

"Good to know. But it shouldn't affect your daily life. Ali's been failing tests since you started this."

"I had no idea," he admitted, "I could help her learn then."

"Never thought I'd say that, but you're responsible for three of my children, Spike," Lucy chuckled. Her friend frowned, looking at her nervously and confusedly.

"Please, at least wait until I am not around," Justin asked, making his mother blush.

"Sorry." Lucy sighed and pulled out a box of cigarettes, taking one out. Dr. Taylor immediately grabbed it from her. "Not here," he told her.

She glared at him, coughing. "Fine... But in return, you're going to do everything you can to protect my children. And for love of God just don't teach them any of your heroic habits, so they don't get themselves hurt or worse. Behave the best you can." She placed her hands on her hips, her strict voice made him shiver in fear and respect.

He nodded slowly and fearfully. She was talking to him as if he was one of her mischievous students.

Suddenly, a beeping sound cut through the silence in the room.

"Huh? A dinosaur appeared?" They all jumped in alarm.

Justin sat to his laptop and directed the map of the world that suddenly appeared to the big screen. A red light was flashing on the map.

"Dinosaur? Where?" Lucy looked at the big screen.

"In America," Spike said, turning to the map.

"In New York City to be exact," Justin told them as zoomed in on the map, "and these coordinates should be very familiar to you."

"Owen!" Spike gasped at the realization happily. A huge grin formed on his face at the thought of meeting his best friend again. "He's going to be so jealous when he finds out I have my own dinosaur!"

Lucy slid next to him, giving him a questioning glare. "You aren't going to tell him you're Dinoman, are you? You're keeping it away from your family and now you wanna tell everyone or what?"

Justin looked up from the laptop while plugging his communicator to it. "I must agree. Nobody else than us has figured out your identity; you said there is a good reason for that, then you cannot just give it away like this," he said before turning his attention to the laptop again.

Dr. Taylor sighed. "Okay... I'll be quiet about that..." he murmured disappointedly. Lucy sweatdropped.

"Huh? M-moment, that is not all," Justin spoke up after a while, "according to the scans, my communicator has already caught up this dinosaur once." "What does it mean?" Lucy wondered, looking at her son.

"That the Akuno's already there," Spike answered, folding his arms, "but if there's only one dinosaur and it's theirs-"

"They aren't after any dinosaur but Foster," Lucy realized. "Wait, since when do you call him by his first name?" Spike wondered, blinking at her a few times. Lucy rolled her eyes. "We'll talk about that later," she told him, "now we gotta go, so get that helmet on and let's go." He nodded and put on Dinoman's helmet.

"Moment!" Justin stopped them, standing up. "It would be better to wait for the rest. I have messaged them about the seriousness of the situation and they are on their way. This is not a mission for a dinosaur, which must mean they have a thought out plan; they are probably prepared. I would not want the scenario from the park to repeat..." The young boy silenced out and glanced away.

They weren't prepared to fight an enemy like that and it ended with the breaking of the team and injuring one of the members. Nobody wanted to repeat this mistake ever again.

They waited for the others to arrive. After several minutes passed, the door opened and the rest of the team rushed in.

"Alright, we can go!" Cole, who was in the lead, said immediately as he entered.

"Mom!" Kyra's eyes fell on the red-haired woman. Lucy turned to her with a smirk on her face and her hand on her hip. "Surprised?"

"Definitely..." Sue grinned. "The hell you're doing here, teach? We don't need babysitting."

"You don't," Mrs. Komatsu replied, "but he does." She tilted her head to Dinoman. "HEY!" he objected.

"Anyways, I'm coming with you," she said, pulling a paper out of her pocket, showing it to Alice. The art club leader gulped, sweating nervously at the sight of her failed test. "I want to see the reason why your grades go down for myself."

Alice lowered her head guiltily, taking a good look at her dark purple shoes with spots of paint all over them just like the rest of her clothes.

"I think it'd be great to have you with us, mom!" Kyra supported Lucy, ignoring her reasoning completely.

"Then I'll call my dad to come with us too," Cole suggested, taking his phone.

"No, wait!" Dinoman stopped him in the scare of his identity being discovered. The tall boy looked at him with his eyebrows raised. "Why not?" Dinoman was silent, his eyes nervously narrowing across the room. Lucy glared at him, hoping hers and Justin's speeches won't get taken for granted and overlooked.

"Be...because we've already lost enough time," Dinoman suddenly replied, "we can't wait for somebody who can't take his job seriously and be where they need him."

"That's um...a pretty fitting description," Lucy admitted, knowing her childhood friend very well. Dinoman leaned to her and whispered, "You don't have to be so honest."

"Yes, I do." She smirked. "You're doing like you don't know me and yet, you know me better than anyone," she said quietly.

"The hell? Hey, weren't we in a hurry?!" Sue yelled at the adults. They looked away from each other and saw everyone but Justin prepared on the platform. Justin set up the coordinates, packed his laptop into his bag, taking it with him, and headed on the platform with Karo and Blitz. Lucy and Dinoman followed, then everyone teleported.

—

A bright light shined inside a New York museum and the group appeared.

Lucy inspected her body quickly, checking for any side effects of the teleportation just in case. She coughed again.

Alice cringed in pain, grabbing her head. Kyra gasped when she noticed. "Ally, are you okay?" Her little sister only smiled reassuringly.

"Another headache?" Lucy murmured. Alice nodded. "Alright... Please, let me know if it gets worse, okay?"

Alice nodded again.

Karo and Blitz ran to several dinosaur skeletons, sniffing them and crying out.

"Hey, what are they doing?" Cole wondered, scratching the back of his head. "No idea," Kyra replied.

"Animal instincts," Sue growled, "they sense a close connection to the skeletons. Hell, they even could've known these things while they were alive."

"How do you know?" Cole asked her.

"I'm not dumb," the brunette snapped at him. "True," Lucy agreed, smiling at the girl proudly, "while she's been in my class, Sue's been my most skilled student in biology."

"I must agree with Susan, but a Dimetrodon is not a dinosaur," Justin said.

"Right, its evolutionary line is much closer to us than dinosaurs," Dinoman explained.

Meanwhile, Alice looked around the place, standing behind everyone. Her eyes fell on a corridor; it felt as if she's seen it before despite never visiting this place. She walked through it unnoticed by the rest. She had an indescribable feeling like she must go there. After several minutes of walking, she heard voices.

"Do it. It's not that hard," a girly voice said.

"Don't..." a male voice replied.

Alice looked behind the corner and saw the source of the voices. An older blond man was sitting on the ground, staring angrily at a ginger-haired girl standing above him. A blond boy and his Carnotaurus, preventing the man from escaping, were standing next to her motionlessly.

 _"Dr. Owen! ...what do they want here? Mary, if you dare..."_ Alice covered her mouth.

"Come on, Rexy~! Do it so we can go home," Mary ordered. Rex didn't do anything, his eyes were locked on his father; it almost seemed as he was fighting himself.

"He won't obey you," Dr. Owen told the ginger.

She smirked devilishly. "We'll see about that." She wrapped her arms around Rex from behind. "You can do it," she whispered to him. She pulled away and placed her hands on his head. "Everything will be alright~" Her hands glowed in pink light as well as Rex's eyes. She let go of him and ordered again, "Attack."

Rex then without any hesitation punched Dr. Owen.

Alice's eyes widened fearfully, she held her hands together tightly.

Dr. Owen looked up at Rex. "Rex..."

"Again," Mary said, Rex obeyed.

"Again."

"Again!"

Every time she ordered he hit Owen and Alice's grip tightened. This went on and on for a while.

"...Rex, please...look at me...you have to fight it..." Dr. Owen begged, his glasses laying on the floor, blood streaming from his mouth, "...I believe in you, son..."

"Again!" Mary yelled, but this time Rex stood completely still.

 _"Why is she doing this?"_ Alice asked herself. This whole scenario was breaking her heart. She took a deep breath, keeping her mouth opened as if she was about to speak up.

Mary glared at her crush. "I said again," she growled angrily.

Rex clenched his fists. He was about to punch again, but then a broken voice screamed, "REX, STOP!"

No one would expect to hear that voice; the voice that was silent for the whole five years.

The blonde froze in place, his eyes widened.

The man looked surprised.

Mary turned around, her face red in anger. She saw a brunette girl with a black jacket with paint spots on it standing determinately against her. "Oh, look what we have here~ Little Komatsu. What do you want here? Do you think you can stop us?"

Alice opened her mouth, taking small breaths. Her scream brought the attention of the others. Kyra was the fastest, she stopped once she saw her little sister. "Ally?"

"Lost for words, Little Komatsu?" Mary wondered, grinning evilly, "of course you are. Your words were able to kill after all." Mary's ginger hair turned brown, her body shorter, forming into Alice.

"I hate you," she said in Alice's voice. Both sisters became pale.

Mary changed back. She ran towards Alice, grabbing her collar, then she threw to the ground. Alice could only groan in pain. She looked up at the ginger girl who had a gun pointing at her, her appearance changing once more. A brunette man with brown eyes was standing there instead of her.

Kyra covered her mouth, breathing faster.

"Dad...?" Alice mouthed, staring in shock and fear.

"I have a Deja vu," Mary told her, "you have his eyes, do you know that? You've got the same spark in them as he did. Weird, he was giving me the same look before he met his fate."

"...you...killed him..." Alice realized.

"Exactly."

"No!" Kyra cried, her face becoming pale, her body shaking, tears running down her cheeks, her breath getting faster, "no, no, no...d-dad...! NO!" She covered her ears, crying.

The others rushed to the place, stopping in shock as they saw Kyra's state.

"Kyra! Not again..."

The teen screamed; her legs carried her away.

"AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Kyra! We gotta go after her. Now!" Lucy said.

Mary teleported away.

The others nodded, but Alice got up and looked unsurely back at Ace, Rex and his adoptive father.

Rex stood there, crying guiltily. Dr. Owen smiled up at him reassuringly and hugged his son tightly. "It's okay..."

She looked back at the others.

"Huh? S-sister, do you want to stay here?" Justin asked her. She nodded.

"We have to go!" Lucy yelled.

"But how do we find her?" Cole wondered.

"Easily," Justin said and pulled his laptop out of the bag, opening it, "we can locate her communicator." He typed something in and a map of New York appeared on the screen, a white dot glowing at it. "Here." He pointed to the screen. The others nodded and hurried after Kyra.

—

Kyra was running away, crying loudly.

"...dad...?! ...where are you?!" she cried confusedly, "...I...I wanna go with you! ...dad!"

She stopped, falling to her knees, trembling, repeating the same thing over and over again. She covered her face with her palms and screamed. She mind was broken.

Then she heard something hit the ground; she looked down, seeing a knife. A calm voice whispered to her, "This is the only solution~"

She picked the knife up, chuckling insanely, crying more. She unwrapped the bandages around her wrists, revealing several scars.

—

Once they were gone, Alice sighed and sat on the floor.

Rex continued crying in his father's arms. "...I'm sorry...sorry...sorry...sorry...sorry-"

"Don't worry...it's okay. Don't cry," Dr. Owen whispered to him reassuringly. Rex touched his own cheek, biting his lip, pulling away. He walked to the wall, leaning against it, sliding down to the floor.

Dr. Owen wiped the blood flowing from his mouth with his hand, looking at the bloodstain. "I go wash off the blood," he told them, "Alice, could you please meanwhile watch over Rex?" He asked politely. Alice nodded, smiling weakly. He headed away.

Alice turned to Rex. "I've never thought I'd hear your voice again," he admitted, "it's still as nice as I remember it."

The brunette's cheeks became red as he said that. The blonde changed his Carnotaurus into a chibi form. As Ace reappeared, he rushed to his partner, licking his face soothingly. Then Alice called out little Tashi using her dark red communicator in her jacket. The dinosaurs started to play with each other.

"Why now? You've been quiet for five years. Why did you speak up now?" Rex asked.

Alice shrugged. "...maybe...it's...because of...her..." she said quietly, taking small breaths between the words, struggling with them.

"Mary?"

"...I...met her...before...she can...change her appearance...was...with my...father...he was...cheating on mom...I said...I hate him...and then...he was killed..." she became silent.

"So, you blame yourself for his death?" Rex touched her shoulder gently. She nodded slowly. "I understand..." He smiled softly. She smiled back.

—

The others finally found Kyra kneeling on the ground and laughing. Blood was running down her arms. Drack was standing behind her.

"Kyra!"

"...what the hell? She cut herself..." Sue said in disbelief.

"B-blood..." Justin murmured and fainted because of all the red around. Sue stopped his fall, holding him.

"Kyra, what are you doing?!" Cole snapped worriedly, "Drack, stay the heck away from her!"

The boy turned to them, smirking; he was holding Jessica's card. It glowed and the white Corythosaurus appeared. Her eyes were unusually black. She charged at the Traveling Forces.

"Not this again..."

Cole swiped his two cards while Dinoman put Blitz's card to the plate on his helmet. The Compy squad and Styracosaurus attacked Jessica.

Blitz rammed into the Corythosaurus, throwing her at one of the cars. She roared in agony but got back up.

"Jess would already turn into a card. What has he done to her?" Cole wondered.

"Then this needs a good shot," Dinoman said, pulling out a move card.

As they fought Lucy watched Kyra worriedly. Her daughter was still in the insane state, pointing the knife at herself.

"...forget about Jess," Lucy told them, "we need to get to Kyra."

They both looked at her.

"Kyra won't listen when she's like this. Spike, let Blitz fight and use your lasso to get that knife," Lucy whispered.

"...that would blow up my cover," Dinoman replied quietly, "and I'm not sure if I can aim right...You know me."

"...please...I can't lose even her..." she begged, crying, taking him by a surprise.

Before he could do anything, Kyra's hand with the knife moved to her chest.

"Kyra!" Lucy screamed. She quickly pulled a light grey crystal from her pocket. It started to glow and in an instant, an arrow formed from metal the broken car was from. The arrow, still connected to the car, headed to Kyra, slightly cutting the hand she had the knife in, making her drop it. Then the arrow flew behind Drack, stabbing his shoulder.

Lucy panted while holding the crystal in front of her. Everyone else just stared. Cole and Sue had no idea what the hell is going on.

Drack smirked, his hand on his new wound. "So, the guardian of metal? This power certainly is interesting."

"Get. Away. From. My. Daughter." Lucy ordered, her face totally serious.

"Which one?" Drack asked teasingly.

Lucy hardened her glare and the arrow buried itself deeper into his shoulder.

"Alright..." Drack snapped his fingers, Jessica turned back into a card, falling to the ground. The boy then disappeared in smoke.

"Kyra!" Lucy rushed to her daughter, hugging her tightly.

"M-mom...?"

"It's okay... It's okay now, sweetheart," she whispered gently. Kyra started to calm down as she was getting exhausted. She was leaning on her mother more and more. "We'll get to a hospital. Everything will be alright..."

—

Dr. Owen soon came back, the kids were still smiling at each other. "It seems the book I gave you worked," he said. The teens quickly looked at him, blushing.

"What? No!" Rex objected, letting go of Alice's shoulder. She put on her hoodie, hiding her red face. "We were just..."

He sighed. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you..." he changed to the subject, looking sadly at his father.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Dr. Owen reassured him, "but...why are you doing this? Why would you join them? I haven't raised you like this..."

Rex turned away, closing his eyes. "It's probably better if I tell you...My parents were killed..." he whispered. His words resonated through the quiet corridor. Everyone looked at him in shock. "It was my fault..." He clenched his fists tightly. "That's why I agreed to join the Akuno when they told me they can bring them back..."

"Rex..."

He touched his dinosaur tooth around his neck. "I've never wanted to hurt anyone. I only want to fix my mistake. Every birthday I wished to know them...and then I lose them because I'm too weak..."

Dr. Owen hugged him tightly. "I'm sure they wouldn't want to be brought back if it means that you'd lose yourself. This isn't you."

"I have to...I owe it to them..."

"...Don't...blame yourself..." Alice murmured, "...it had to happen..." Rex looked at her. "...your comeback...must have...a reason..."

"Is it a good or bad reason?" he asked her.

"...who knows...it sure is...good for me...'cause...I can see...you again..."

"Quit flirting with my darling!" somebody yelled from the other side of the corridor. Everyone turned that way and saw a furious ginger girl. Mary was back.

"He's my boyfriend!"

Rex flushed. "Just to let you know, I never agreed to that..." he cleared up for them. They stood up.

"Give me back my darling or I'll take him by force."

"Then you're going to have to use force because I am not coming back," Rex told her.

Mary gasped. "Rexy! No...Rexy..." She started to tear up, a heartbroken frown took over her freckled face. "...Rexy...Y-you can't just leave me...not like everyone else..." She hardened her glare in anger. "If I can't have you nobody can!" she yelled, charging at Rex.

Alice stood up in front of Rex protectively. "...If you dare to touch a single hair on his head...and I'll cut all of yours...!"

"Alice...?"

"...go..."

"There's no way we'd leave you now," Rex said.

"...go...this is...personal..." Alice murmured.

Dr. Owen grabbed Rex's shoulder. The teen nodded and they ran away with Ace.

Alice watched them go when Mary tackled her to the floor. "You stay away from my Rexy, bitch!" She held Alice's neck tightly, pinning her to the ground. "He's mine!"

"...he...doesn't...love you..."

She tightened her grip. Alice couldn't breathe, everything in front of her slowly turned black. "...dad...?" she mouthed as she saw a bright male figure.

"Say hello to him for me," Mary chuckled evilly.

 _"Alice, you can't die on a boy you love like this," the figure told Alice, "he already lost his parents. You can't have him lose even his friend..." The voice repeated this over and over again. She couldn't move or talk. She could only fall asleep._

But suddenly, the grip loosened; she quickly opened her eyes and gasped. Mary was no longer on her but on her hand and knees, holding her stomach. Tashi the Pachycephalosaurus was growling at her. She must have attacked her

Alice got up.

"If this is how you wanna play, Little Komatsu..." Mary groaned, pulling out a Carcharodontosaurus card. It glowed in red light and a green chibi dinosaur appeared.

"Feray, get that girl..." Mary ordered, standing up.

Feray the Carcharodontosaurus didn't obey first. "Feray!" Mary yelled at her. The dino roared in agony and was about to jump at Alice, Tashi headbutted the dino.

"He's mine, only mine. Nobody will take Rexy away from me!"

"...he doesn't...l-love you..." Alice murmured, still struggling with talking.

Mary chuckled. "He loves me... He loves me!" she laughed maniacally, "they all loved me! Pheobus Kato Senior! Sora Shinori! Your father! Rexy! They all loved me!"

"...giving them a love potion...isn't love...You manipulated them...all...They're all...puppets to you..."

"Shut up!" Mary screamed, walking closer. A knife appeared in her hand. She swang her arm, cutting Alice's left cheek. Alice stepped back. Mary grabbed her throat.

"They love me! They love me!" Mary repeated, "THEY LOVE ME!" She stabbed Alice's hair several times, cutting them. "They love me!"

Tashi turned away from Feray to help her partner. She charged at Mary, but Feray bit her tail, throwing Tashi away.

"And who's cutting hair now?" Mary asked. She moved the knife to her throat. "I liked you better when you were quiet."

Then somebody grabbed Mary's pink cape, pulling her away. Alice fell to the floor.

"Stop that." Both girls looked up and saw Rex holding Mary's cape.

"Rex!"

Mary's angry frown turned into an insane smile. "My darling!"

"Mary, stop this, please."

"Do you love me?" she asked him.

"What?" He looked at her confusedly, frowning. "No, I don't...Mary, please, stop."

Mary looked heartbroken; she couldn't accept that. She turned away and then disappeared in smoke with Feray.

Rex rushed to Alice, offering her a hand. She bashfully took it, standing up. "Thank you," she mouthed.

"No problem." He smiled at her.

She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, blushing.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Rex, I'm so proud of you, son! You're a girl magnet after me!" Dr. Owen said happily.

The teens quickly glanced at him and then back at each other, blushing more and more. When Alice realized she's still holding Rex's hand, she squeaked and moved her hand away, her face turning bright pink. She put on her hoodie, pulling the ears on it, screaming internally.

"We should go," Rex suggested, "Mary can come back with a worse plan." Foster then noticed a man standing in the corridor. "That can't be..." he mumbled. The teens looked up, seeing the man as well.

"...dad? How?" Rex whispered, walking to the man slowly, "you're alive...?" The man nodded. The others just watched.

Then Alice's head hurt; she knew what was going on, but it was too late. Rex reached his hand to the man, oblivious to the truth. He didn't want it to be a lie. Ace growled and bit man's arm. He groaned in pain, his body transforming into the real form, Mary.

"Huh?" Rex stopped immediately, then Mary grabbed his hand.

"Rex!" Alice reached for him, he looked at her, but it was too late, they disappeared.

Rex, Ace, and Mary were gone...

"We lost him again..." Foster said defeatedly. Alice looked up at him, sighing.

"I'm so sorry..." Alice murmured, "...I should have been...faster..."

He shook his head. "They can't hold him forever."

Then they were silent for so long until Cole, Sue, and Justin came back.

"What happened?"

They all explained their current situations and the Traveling Forces teleported back home.

—

Several hours later, Lucy was sitting on a bench outside a New York hospital, smoking, tears running down her cheeks.

Spike walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you still here?" she asked hatefully. He didn't reply. "You...you could have done something...stop her sooner...I almost lost her...I won't let her continue this..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Get out of my sight."

"Lucy..."

"Get away from here!" she yelled at him. He stared at her in shock. "I want to be alone," she growled.

He walked away.

"I can't lose more..." she sobbed, "...I can't..." Her sobs faded in the distance.


	12. Goodbye Despair

**Warning, this chapter contains obsession and ReMary/LovePotionshipping (you have been warned).**

—

 _Some people move on but not everyone..._

 _Somethings you can't forget._

 _Sometimes you can't just forgive._

 _You can't forgive yourself._

 _You can't..._

All these thoughts ran through Max's head ever since the incident. He regretted his mistake more than he let to know. Two of his best friends hate him now or at least that's what he thought. He felt alone.

They left him after everything they've been through together.

Max couldn't sleep because of his doubts about the friendship the D-team has built throughout the years. He was sitting at a computer, chatting with a close friend.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah... I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about them," he replied.

"Have you tried talking to them as I recommended?"

"No..."

"Then do it!"

"What if they don't want to see me anymore? I can screw up more..."

"Max, don't give up! You never know until you try. Look at me; I'd probably still be locked in my room if I feared to stand up for my freedom like you now."

Max sighed, staring at the chat. He moved the window with the chat aside, looking at the computer's background. It was a photo of him, Rex, and Zoe with Chomp, Ace, and Paris.

Chomp woke up and bit Max's leg, roaring at him. The brunette looked down at his partner, picking him up.

"Could we just turn back time?" he murmured. Chomp bit Max's nose, making him laugh. "...I miss them all too...Meena's right. We gotta try..." He hugged his Triceratops and then replied to the message.

"Thank you."

—

Max wasn't the only one regretting his actions. Dr. Taylor was awake early in the morning, sitting on the bed and thinking about what he heard from Lucy.

 _"You...you could have done something...stop her sooner...I almost lost her..."_

If he was faster this wouldn't have happened. He sighed.

"Is something wrong, Spike?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked behind himself, finding his wife awake.

"I woke you up?" he asked her apologetically.

"No..." She shook her head firmly. "What's wrong?"

He turned away and replied. "N-nothing...Nothing at all."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Don't lie to me."

"Aki..."

She gently ran her hand over his, entwining their fingers, the scar from his injury was still visible. "It's from a dinosaur, right?"

Her question got him by surprise. "H-how do you know?"

"I'm not as dumb as I seem," she answered.

"I've never said you are."

"Yeah, but you fell for me thinking Chomp and the others are dogs," Aki chuckled.

"You're a good liar."

She nodded. "Unlike you."

"Thanks..." He sweat-dropped, sighing.

She kissed his cheek. "Try all you want but there's nothing you can keep from me."

He closed his eyes guiltily. _"If you only knew..."_ He looked at her. "You're right about the bite. I ran into a dinosaur... That's all..."

"Okay. I go make breakfast." She got up, dressed up and left the room. She looked at the closed door, frowning slightly.

She went to check on her sons before heading downstairs.

Cole was snoring loudly, cuddling his blanket with cats on it. All five Compies were laying around his head.

Max was sitting at the computer with Chomp on his lap, sleeping.

—

The sun was going up, a guardian, Phoebus Kato, was looking at it out of the window, holding an orange crystal.

Ever since Zakuro and Sora told his son about the crystals and the Akuno, he thought of explaining everything to him, but he never brought himself to do that.

Giving Andy crystal's power would only draw the attention of the enemy to him.

Then again, there probably was another way to avoid that and gain a new ally at the same time, but that would be too risky.

He shook his head. "What is a life without danger?" he asked himself. He decided and looked at the crystal.

Pheob wrote a few things down and put a note with the crystal in Andy's room in hopes he'll read it once he wakes up.

Before he left the room, he heard a soft roar. He looked back and saw that Aaron the Coelophysis was awake, glaring at him confusedly.

"Can you take care of him for me?" Pheob requested before leaving.

—

In a dark cell, Rex opened his eyes and tried to move. He couldn't. He was chained to a wall.

"...what is this...?" he whispered.

"Oh, Rexy, you're awake~" a voice gasped happily.

His blood ran cold, his eyes widened. Not her... Anything but her...! He closed his eyes shut, hoping for it to be just a nightmare.

Then he felt a hand on his cheek. He looked in front of himself. A ginger girl was smiling at him.

"It's alright; I'm with you and I'll never ever leave you~ You're forever mine~," she said, her smile cringing, "nobody else can have you~ But me~"

"Mary...?"

"Yes, darling~?"

"Why are you doing this?" he asked her.

"Because I love you and no one else deserves you~"

"You're insane..."

Mary giggled. "I know~"

—

Wendy's and Jeff's apartment was filled with a baby cry.

"It's your turn..." Wendy groaned sleepily.

"It's not..." her boyfriend replied.

"Just go...!" She kicked him out.

Jeff growled and got up, heading to the crib. He picked crying Gerard up.

Wendy got off the bed and changed her clothes as Jeff took care of their son.

"Hey, Wen?"

"Yeah?"

"Michael's gonna visit today if that's okay," Jeff told his partner.

"I don't mind," she replied, "I'll be glad for Gerard to...actually know our families." She looked into a mirror and brushed her coal-black hair from her forehead, revealing several old scars. "...or at least the ones that would care."

—

Meanwhile, Sue and her Daspletosaurus were walking to Pet Town; they were invited to breakfast at the Drake household. She rang the doorbell and after a while, Zoe opened the door.

"Hey, girl!"

"Oh, Sue. You're here already."

"Am I here too soon?"

"No. Come in."

Sue walked in as her Daspletosaurus rushed inside, looking for Paris. "Hey, you! Slow down!" Sue snapped at it, "what's its problem?" Zoe glanced at her confusedly. "You still have no name for her?" "Her? Guess I hell don't...You know I'm bad at making legit names."

"What about Annie?" Zoe suggested.

"Annie?" Sue shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

Both girls walked in the kitchen where Zoe's parents were.

"Good morning," Sue said with a smile on her face.

"Hello, Sue."

"Sue! It's nice to see that you came," Mrs. Drake who was making breakfast told her, walking to her.

Sue grinned. "Hell, I'd never turn out an invite like that, Mrs. Drake."

"Forget formalities, sweetie; you're almost a part of the family. Call me Rosie." Rosie kissed Sue's head, making her blush. Sue looked up at her, feeling strange. "Part of the family?"

Mr. Drake nodded, placing his hand on Sue's shoulder. "Of course."

She looked at him. "Mr. Drake..." "Mike." She nodded.

This wasn't Sue's usual mood, but the presence of people that can stand her despite her rude act makes her feel loved unlike at Wada's house. Her uncle puts her down all the time and nobody stands up for her, not even her parents. They didn't want to turn him against them; they were glad he gave them a place to stay at when they needed it the most. But that doesn't give him the right to treat Sue the way he does.

"Rosie, Mike, I hell appreciate this," Sue admitted, "more than you think."

"Hey, give it back!" Reese rushed after Annie and Paris in the living room. She chased the dinos that stole her hairbrush. The others watched her. The scientist grabbed the Daspletosaurus, taking the hairbrush from her.

"Sue, I think she needs some discipline..." Reese glared at Susan. The teen could only laugh at Reese's messy hair.

"And I think you need shorter hair!" Sue grinned.

Reese sighed, put Annie down, and headed upstairs. "I'll be right back."

Sue looked at Annie. "Clever girl." The Daspletosaurus wagged her tail.

—

Back in the Akuno, Mary was stuck on Rex, kissing him, running her hands over his body. Rex couldn't do anything to stop her; he accepted this as his fate. He's going to starve to death here in Mary's arms. He was saved from this despair by the one person he'd never be glad to see again, Drack.

"Mary, get off him for now!" he snapped. Mary pulled away annoyedly, turning to her brother. "What do you want?" Her eyes widened when she saw who Drack brought to neighbor cells. They were a dark-haired man with emerald eyes and a brunette teen with brown eyes. They both had handcuffs.

"Phoeb?"

"Hey, Mary," Phoebus said.

"Michael...?" Rex murmured, looking at the boy.

"Rex? They got you too?" Micheal stared at his classmate.

"Kinda..."

Drack pushed Phoebus and Michael in their respective cells and locked them up.

"What do you want?" Phoeb snapped at Drack, getting no response.

"Could you just not kidnap us now?" Michael wondered, holding the bars, "I'm supposed to visit my nephew today."

Drack ignored any attempt for interaction with them and glance at Mary. "Zepar wants to see you," he told her. The siblings left.

"How did you get here?" Michael asked Rex.

"It's complicated...So, you have a nephew?" The blonde changed the subject.

The brunette nodded. "His name's Gerard; he's just a few weeks old."

—

The Drakes and Sue with Paris and Annie were having breakfast.

"I'm aware you're used to much better cooking, Susan, but I hope you like it," Rosie said.

Sue looked at her. "You're hell kidding...Mrs. Drake-I mean, Rosie, Wada may have the most expensive cooks, but he'll never get the best one in the town. Better than any posh food. This is hell great."

"Thank you."

They continued to eat until Mike asked, "From how you talk about your uncle I wonder how could he let you visit us."

"He...didn't..." Sue murmured, "nobody knows I'm here."

"So, you ran away from home?"

"Yeah...?" She nodded.

"Why am I not surprised?" Reese asked herself quietly.

"Your family's going to be worried," Mike told Sue. She chuckled. "They'd be hell more worried if I didn't do that. I'm maybe a troublemaker for my family, but I have to be to get those dinosaur cards before the Akuno-" She quickly covered her mouth when she what she gave away.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, shoot..."

—

Jeff was sitting in the apartment, looking over his son while Wendy was at work.

He was trying to call his little brother but got no response. Feeling anxious he called his mother who confirmed that Michael should be on his way.

Did something happen to him? Why does he take so long? He got more and more worried.

He got up, put Gerard in the crib and rushed to his car.

—

Cruz got thrown into a cell next to Rex's by Zepar.

"What are you doing?!" he snapped.

 **"Just keeping you from ruining my plan,"** Zepar replied with a devilish grin on her face, **"I still trust you, but I know your religious conviction wouldn't let you just watch. You'd try to stop us and I can't let that happen. Plus this is a punishment for letting our prisoner go. Now for the guardians. Drack, take care of that boy. Mary, you're going to get your son."**

Mary narrowed her eyes from Zepar to Phoeb. "Your majesty, y-you can't possibly...want that..."

"Wait, son?!" the others were in shock.

 **"Do it."**

"No...I can't..." Mary shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.

Zepar grabbed Mary's throat tightly. **"Kill him or that blonde."**

Mary's eyes widened. "...please...no...your majesty..."

Phoebus looked at Rex and then at Mary. "Do it," he said, "it'll be okay, Mary. Please."

"Phoeb..." Mary changed her appearance to an old lady, her real body. "Alright..." Zepar let go of her.

 **"Good girl. After that, you'll take our new member to the surface."**

The doors of Michael's and Phoeb's cells opened, Drack and Mary pulled them out and dragged them away.

 **"I may be cruel, but I wouldn't let you two watch that,"** Zepar explained, looking at Rex and Cruz.

"You're a monster..." Rex told her.

 **"I know."**

—

After they finished breakfast, they moved to the living room.

Sue was sitting against the family while the dinosaurs were playing together.

Paris was singing and Annie was dancing to the song.

"Fine, before I explain, please, don't kill me for that," Sue said, looking at Reese nervously, "it was Alice's idea; I'm no way in hell to blame for it. She convinced me, Cole, Justin, and Kyra to do D-team's job."

"You what?"

"We're basically beating up the Akuno, grabbing the dino cards, you know. Basically doing your damn job," she growled, glaring at the sisters. Zoe glanced away guiltily. "You and Max don't give a damn 'bout what's going on. Nobody does."

"Sue, I'm..."

"I'm not mad at you, girl... Actually, I would never have so much fun."

They looked at Sue in surprise.

"Those guys are hell idiots, but... Welp, there's nothing good _I_ can say 'bout them."

"Then why did you agree to do that?" Zoe asked her.

"I wanted to kick that Drack bastard's ass for what he's done to you," Sue snapped.

At the sound of that name, Mike's fists clenched. Rosie noticed and took his hand, smiling at him.

"And then..." Sue looked at Annie. "It was more than that..."

—

 _Sue was watching Annie getting stepped on by Feray. The Daplestosaurus' roars of agony hurt her...She heard the scream of her best friend. She did nothing to protect the person she loved back then; there's no way she can let that happen to anybody else._

 _"Stop that!" she screamed, walking towards the Carcharodontosaurus. Everybody yelled at her to stop, but she didn't listen. She couldn't let her partner helpless._

—

"I don't think we can go on just in the form we are right now," Sue said, looking up, "...those bastards are getting stronger and smarter. Just yesterday..." She held her hands together, glancing down again. "Not sure the hell's that supposed to mean. Kyra went crazy...cut her veins...laughing like a hell maniac."

Rosie covered her mouth in shock, Mike wrapped his arm around her reassuringly.

"She...what?" Zoe whispered in disbelief, shaking.

"Girl, don't make me repeat that..." Sue begged quietly

"It was a matter of time," Reese spoke up. "Matter of time?!" Sue snapped, "the hell's that mean?!"

"Kyra's done this several times in the past. For the last five years, she's been...rather sensitive-"

"You call _that_ sensitive?!"

"There's no better word for that. Five years ago, Kyra witnessed her father getting shot; he later died in a hospital. That day, something inside Kyra snapped and her mind is unstable. She tries to hold it back, but with any reminder of that day, she can't control it. She isn't dangerous to others unless you get in the way of the knife," Reese explained.

"So, that's why she wears the bandages," Zoe murmured.

"Susan, you know what they're capable of and still decided to fight against them."

"We gotta do your hell job, Little Genius," Sue growled at Reese, "Drack and Mary want those dinosaur cards."

Mike's fists shook in anger as he heard that name again.

"I dunno what they want, but I know what the hell they do to dinosaurs. Sick people like that can't get their hands on power like that! They've already almost killed Zoe; I can't risk losing the rest of my only family! I can't lose you, guys!" Sue covered her mouth, realizing she gave away something she shouldn't.

"Sue..."

"Forget I said anything!" she snapped, folding her arms, "the point is that somebody must stop Mary and Drack."

Mike got up and walked away without a single word.

"Dad...?" He didn't reply.

"I'll talk to him." Rosie followed him.

"Forget 'bout all of it..." Sue said, "I guess you can't understand why I do that." She stood up and headed out.

"Sue, wait!" Zoe rushed to her and grabbed her hand. "...you're right. We...we gave up. I lost two of my best friends so quickly and I didn't want to face it. I thought the best way would be to forget about what we've been through."

"Girl..." Sue took her friend's hands. "You still have your best friend ever. No matter what happens I'm here for you. I know I failed at protecting you before, but that won't happen again. I didn't tell you about those missions because I didn't want you to get involved after that incident... I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"Sue..."

A beeping sound interrupted them. Sue pulled a red communicator out, looking at it. She was receiving a call from Cole. She rolled her eyes and answered.

"Sue! Is Zoe with you?" Cole asked her urgently, crying.

The girl frowned. "The hell? You think I'm a stalker or what?" she murmured. Her eyes narrowed from the communicator to Zoe and Reese. "She is, but not because I can't be without her. The hell you want?"

"Kid's in the hospital!" Cole told her, his voice shaking.

"What?!" the girls gasped.

—

They all rushed through a hospital corridor. They saw worried Taylors and stopped near them.

"What happened?" Zoe asked.

"A car accident," Dr. Taylor replied, holding Aki tightly, "that's all we know."

Zoe sighed sadly, lowering her head. She shook over a thought of what could have happened to her friend. Sue wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders, comforting her.

"Max saved them," a girly voice said. They all looked to its source, seeing a girl sitting near them with a golden star hairpin in her short light brown hair. Her dark eyes filled with tears. She was holding her golden lizard-like pet with two blue marked crests on its head; it was nuzzling her.

"Sabina?" Zoe recognized her former classmate.

"The hell you're doing here, Kon?" Sue wondered.

"I saw what happened," Sabi said, "my sister followed something on a road when a black car appeared. A girl pushed her off the way, staying there herself, but Max saved her. I thought the car hit him and it probably did, but...something reduced most of the impact."

Cole, sitting next to her, whose face was buried in his palms until now, looked at her. "So, he should be fine...?" he murmured sobbingly. Chomp was bitting his jacket nervously.

A black-haired doctor walked over to them at the moment. "Exactly," she answered, "Juliet Kon was already released with minor scratches from her fall. Max Taylor is still unconscious; he's got a few broken bones. Right arm, ribs. He's going to be okay." She smiled reassuringly.

Aki sighed in relief, smiling weakly. Spike grinned and kissed her head. "Told you so," he chuckled softly to light up the mood.

"I'll inform you if he wakes up," Dr. Wendy reassured them. "Thank you."

"And what about that other girl?" Sabi asked her, "how is she?"

"Do you know her?"

She nodded. "Kinda. She saved my life once. Her name is Damita Makuto."

Wendy gasped, her eyes widened. "...Makuto...?" she whispered.

"Can I go see her?" Wendy snapped out and looked at Sabina, nodding. "Sure. I'll lead you there." Star jumped off Sabi's lap, letting her get up. They followed the doctor.

Sue frowned, watching Sabi's pet. Nobody else seemed to be interested in it because they were too worried about Max, but she noticed.

"The hell...Kon's got a dino?" Sue murmured.

"Huh?" The others looked at her.

"Can't you hell see that? She has a chibi dino. Girl, we should investigate this..."

Zoe looked at her with a sad frown.

"C' mon, girl, you need a distraction from this!" Sue tried to convince her friend. Paris and Annie watched the golden dinosaur walk away. They ran after it.

"Paris, wait!" Zoe followed her partner. Sue grinned and followed as well.

"Kid's...going to be okay...Right...?" Cole murmured, looking sadly up at his parents. His face unusually pale, cheeks soaked, eyes red. His mother hugged him. "He is. No need to worry," she told him, but she didn't trust those words herself.

—

Wendy opened the door and let Sabi and Star in.

A small dark-haired pale girl was laying in the hospital bed, her new wounds bandaged. She grabbed the blanket and coward away when they entered. Sabi finally had a good look at her. There were several old and new scars over her weak body; one, in particular, stood out. A horribly looking scar over her right eyes. Her irises were demonically red; a fear was clear to see in them. The only person with a similar eye color was Wendy whose right eye was just as red. Old clothes were torn and baggy on her, not washed for weeks.

Star wagged her tail and jumped on the bed. "Star, no!" Sabi told her.

The girl looked at the Dilophosaurus with courage.

Then a Parasaurolophus and a Daspletosaurus rushed in the room, leaping on the bed, roaring softly. Their partners ran after them. "Paris, come back!" "Annie!"

The girl shook as she saw Zoe and Sue.

"I'll leave you here for a while," Wendy said and headed away.

Sabina looked at the two dinosaurs with a frown and then turned to the dark-haired girl. "Damita? Do you remember me?"

—

Wendy checked on Max. Seeing that he's slowly waking up, she headed back to tell his parents. As she was near them, a man in a black leather jacket with his hands bandaged walked past her. He caught her attention.

"Jeff?" She stopped and stared at him.

He cringed and glanced at her. "Wen! Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

"Jeff, what happened to you? Where's Gerard?" Wendy questioned her boyfriend worriedly but also angrily. Jeff was glaring at her anxiously, not sure what he should say.

"Speak!" she urged.

He gritted his teeth. "Car accident," Jeff told her hatefully. Wendy gasped a little, her eyes widened.

Those two words caught Reese's attention. She turned her head to the couple slightly, listening carefully. The others were too drowned in their worries they didn't seem to notice the conversation.

The scientist was pretty glad that they ignored the two since their heated debate included things they'd never want to hear in this situation. Wendy apparently figured out what that 'car accident' was because she kept interrogating Jeff about it. Where? How? Did he hit anyone? All Jeff's answers pointed to him being the cause of the accident Max and the others were part of.

Once Reese realized that she glanced at the Taylors silently, saying nothing. She knew what reaction could that knowledge could bring and she didn't want to start chaos in the hospital. She clenched her hand into a fist in frustration. She refused to take action, but somebody didn't hesitate.

Wendy suddenly slapped Jeff, yelling at him. That made everybody around look at them in shock. "You left our son home alone?!"

"So what?" he growled.

"He's just a few weeks old! Do you even have common sense?! What kind of person would do that?!"

He had no answer to that.

"You leave Gerard alone! And then you run away from an accident you've caused?!"

Cole's head shot quickly up.

"I stood enough of your mess-ups, but this is too much! You make me sick, Jeff!" Wendy continued yelling, "you-"

"Bastard!" Like a bullet, the brunette teen shot at the man, grabbing his throat. "That was my little brother!"

"Cole!" the others gasped.

"Little brother...?" Jeff murmured, half-choking.

Warm tears started to fall from Cole's eyes again. Aki wrapped her arms around him from behind, making him cool down. He slowly let go of Jeff's throat. "Cole, please, no..." she whispered.

"B-but Kid is... He's..." Cole was shaking, his legs becoming weak.

Jeff saw his opportunity to strike back. He was about to hit Cole when then Spike grabbed his wrist, stopping his blow. Jeff gritted his teeth again, looking up at him. He seemed so much smaller than the older man and decided it would be a bad idea to get in a fight with him.

"Jeff, take your stuff from the apartment and get out of my life for good," Wendy asked nicely. The man glared at her and walked away.

The doctor sighed. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. The others shook their heads.

Cole was panting, becoming paler. Then he fell to the floor while his mother was still holding him. "Cole!" If Max being injured wasn't enough, Aki got even more worried about Cole now. She held him tightly. "What's wrong?"

"Must be stress from his brother being hurt," Wendy assumed, "this is thankfully a slight form of it; it could have been worse."

"Much worse," Reese said monotonically, knowing what this stress has done to Kyra.

"...Kid's going to be...okay..." Cole murmured.

"He's fine," Wendy reassured him, "he woke already; I was just about to tell you." They looked at her in relief.

"...I can't let him see me like this..." Cole chuckled softly, getting up, still shaking, "I...should go home..."

"I can't let you go alone." Spike helped his son to lean on him and walk away.

Aki watched them go, shaking a little. She picked up Chomp. Reese placed her hand on her shoulder. "You heard her; Max is awake. You should go see him. I'll tell Zoe about it," she told her, smiling at her. The brunette nodded and headed away.

Meanwhile, Wendy phoned someone, probably to find babysitting for her son.

—

"Do you remember me?"

The dark-haired girl looked at Sabi. "...Si..." she murmured, placing her hand on her chest where another scar was. This scar was from the day she saved Sabina's life.

"...Sabina Kon...?"

"Yes! This whole time I wanted to say...Thank you for saving me and now for saving my sister. I'm so thankful to you, Damita." Damita whimpered as she heard her own name.

"What's wrong?" they asked.

Damita was shaking her head rapidly. "...please...don't call me that..."

"Then the hell should we call you then? Dark?" Sue snapped, referring to the girl's dark hair.

"...Anything...but my real name..." she said sobbingly.

"Zoe." They all looked to the door to see Reese standing there with her hands folded. "It's Max. He's woken up."

"Really?" Zoe's heart leaped as she heard that. She was anxious about seeing him again after what happened between them. She was still mad at him for hurting Paris, but...

"Go, girl," Sue told her, "I'll stay here." Zoe glanced at her best friend. "He still owes an apology."

She nodded, heading away with Reese. "Let's go, Paris." The Parasaurolophus yipped and ran after the sisters.

Sabi looked back at Damita. "Dam-Dark...Why would you do that?" she asked.

"What...?"

"Why would you risk your life for me and Juliet?"

"I...I..." Dark stuttered, trembling, "I can't stand someone's pain. I know all possible pain." She closed her red eyes shut, crying, trembling more.

"Dark?"

The girl was terrified. Unexplainable scenes flashed in her mind.

 _A man hit the girl several times._

 _She was starving._

 _She was drowning._

Dark screamed and rushed out of the room.

"Dark!" Sabi and Star quickly followed her.

"What the hell...?" Sue mumbled, "the hell's wrong with that girl? You think it could be some PTSD...?" She turned to Annie with concern. The Daspletosaurus growled softly.

—

Dark was outside the hospital. She fell to her knees when she couldn't run any further. Sabi and Star soon caught up with her. "Dark, what's wrong?"

"I don't know..."

Sabi hugged the pale girl gently. "The Akuno won't hurt you again. I promise."

"Why are you so nice to me? You don't even know me..." Dark didn't understand.

"You saved my life and didn't know who I am either. I'll protect your life from now on," Sabi reassured her. Dark slowly nodded. Then they both stood up.

Star nuzzled Dark's leg; she had something in her mouth. The dark-haired girl picked her up, noticing that it was a golden card in the Dilophosaurus' mouth. Sabi took it, but before she had a chance to examine it, it got in the right angle where a reflection from windows shined at it.

—

Suddenly, Sue heard a beeping sound from her communicator. Her brown eyes widened when she looked at the screen and saw that a dinosaur appeared. "It's here?!"

—

The Drake sisters entered a room Max was lying in. An awkward silence filled the room. Max, who had his head bandaged and his right arm in gypsum, looked at Zoe, but then glanced guiltily away. Zoe frowned.

Unlike their partners, Chomp and Paris were so happy to see each other again. They played together.

Aki narrowed her eyes at the teens, hoping to figure out what to say to break the tension, but a roar did that for her. They all looked out of the window where the roar came from and saw a dinosaur with giant claws.

"A Therizinosaurus?!"

Then Zoe received a message from Sue, saying, "I leave this one to you, girl." She hardened her glare and told her partner, "Let's go, Paris!" and they both rushed outside.

Reese kept her eyes on the dinosaur as much as she could. His body seemed to shine. She knew this was one of the secret dinosaurs just like Alice's Pachycephalosaurus and that he's too strong for only one dinosaur. Realizing what danger Zoe and Paris could be in, Reese hurried after them.

Max didn't waste much time either and tried to get up, but Aki pinned back to the bed. "Max, please, stay here."

"But-"

"You're hurt...Don't go anywhere," his mother told him and headed away as well. "Mom!" He watched her go towards danger while most of his body hurt. He sighed.

—

The Therizinosaurus looked confusedly around.

"Shoot!" Sabi grabbed Dark's arm, pulling her as far away from the dinosaur as she could.

"Dark, stay here," she told her once they stopped. She took out her stone plate, turning Star into a card.

"Shine, Star!" Sabina swiped the card, summoning the golden Dilophosaurus. Star roared, charging at the Therizinosaurus.

"No, don't hurt him!" Dark screamed, covering her eyes. Sabi looked back at her. and even Star stopped. "Violence is wrong..." "There's no other way, Dark."

The sky suddenly changed and Star got knocked away by a Carcharodontosaurus. "Star!"

A giggle was heard near them from a ginger girl. "You again?!" Sabi knew that annoying voice.

Mary's happiness was quickly swiped away by Zoe's arrival to the battle. The fact that Reese and Aki followed her didn't make the ginger much happier.

"A Carcharodontosaurus and a Dilophosaurus too?"

"I thought I'd never get to see you," Mary said to Zoe, "I've heard enough from Drack, but meeting that last part of our nemesis isn't that exciting in person."

"The Akuno?" Zoe noticed a pink symbol on Mary's stomach; the same symbol Rex and Drack had.

"Exactly. I'm the awesome Mary, the future princess of darkness! Now, if you excuse me, I'll be taking that Therizinosaurs," the ginger chuckled with a smirk on her face.

"No, you won't." Zoe pulled out her communicator. "Dino slash! Spring up, Parasaurolophus!" She swiped Paris' card, summoning her dinosaur.

While Star and Mary's Carcharodontosaurus were fighting, the Therizinosaurus was on a rampage, confused about what's going on. Paris was about to attack him when a Carnotaurus and its partner appeared in front of her out of nowhere. She stopped.

Zoe's determination faded away. "Rex..."

The blonde with a brown hoodie over his head and a bag glared at her, his eyes glowed pink.

Despite knowing he's now the enemy, Aki couldn't help but smile, seeing the boy for the first time in two years. "Rex!"

He didn't seem to recognize her or anyone else, his eyes locked only at his target.

"Nice try, but my dear Rexy is now mine. He's nothing he used to be!" Mary laughed.

"Dear Rexy?" They glanced at her disgustedly.

"She used a love potion on him," Dark explained, "much stronger one than before it seems. He listens only to her."

"A love potion? That's impossible..." Reese shook her head.

"Not for Mary," Dark replied, "she is a witch."

"A witch?!"

"That explains a lot. I knew she's crazy but this is a whole new level," Sabi growled through her teeth.

"Darling, take care of your friend while I deal with the Dilophosaurus," Mary ordered.

Rex nodded. "Ace, get her." The Carnotaurus shook his head, growled and charged at Paris.

"Ace, please, no!" Zoe begged, but with no effect on the dinosaur.

Before Ace could hit, he got suddenly struck by lightning. Dinosaur footsteps approached the battle. It was a Triceratops with a brunette boy right behind him.

"Max, I told you not to go here," his mother reproached him. "I'm sorry, mom..." He looked up at her sadly. "But I couldn't just sit there and watch."

"What do you think you're doing?!" Zoe snapped at him angrily.

"Huh?" He glared at her confusedly and responded, "I'm saving you and Paris."

"Then don't! The last time you did you screwed up everything!"

Max felt a stabbing pain in his heart as he heard that. He only tried to protect her, but she hates him even more now.

"You're overdramatizing this, sis," Reese told her sister.

"No, I'm not! We're never getting our Rex back if we fight him! You two tried to beat him up when he came back, but he clearly needs help, not a black eye!"

"I'm with Zoe on this," Aki spoke up.

The teens ignored both of the adults, continuing their fight.

"He's our friend, Max! I can't fight him," Zoe said. Her eyes widened once she heard Paris roar in agony. She quickly looked to the battle, seeing her dinosaur getting beat up by the Carnotaurus. "Paris!"

Chomp knocked Ace away, but then Paris was attacked him.

"What?" Max glared at Zoe. "What's that suppose to be?!" He got no answer to that. "Fine. If you want it this way."

"No, stop that!" Aki yelled at them, but it did nothing.

"There's nothing we can do," Reese told her, "we should leave before we get hurt." But Aki didn't move a bit and that was a mistake.

The three dinosaurs were fighting each other while Star and Feray headbutted one another. The Therizinosaurus was left without an opponent. His eyes fell at the two women and he headed to them.

"Too late..." Reese murmured, scared despite not showing it.

Aki squeaked and covered her face, crying as the dinosaur came closer.

Out of nowhere, a Styracosaurus got summoned in front them, stopping the Therizinosaurus. A man in a mask rushed by the Styracosaurus' side, saying, "No need to fear, ladies."

Aki uncovered her face, staring at the man in shock. "Who are you?" she asked him with a shaky voice.

The man turned his head to her with a grin on his face. "Call me Dinoman."

"You're kidding, right?" Reese cringed at that name.

Aki kept staring at the man. She knew that grin but couldn't recall who it could be. That voice... Knowing every single word this man would say, she felt like she's met him, not realizing who is this mysterious savior.

Dinoman turned his attention back to the dinosaurs. "Blitz, we gotta protect damsels in distress now. Lightning Spear!" He placed a move card to his helmet, activating it.

Blitz tossed the Therizinosaurus in the air, jumped after him and stabbed him with his horn, striking him with lightning. Blitz landed on his feet while the Therizinosaurus fell down. He was still able to stand up.

"Damn it..."

"The Therizinosaurus is a secret dinosaur; it's much stronger than regular ones. One dinosaur can't compete with it," Reese said.

"Yeah, I know..." Dinoman sighed. "But as long as they fight each other, we have no other choice. The others were informed not to come here."

"The others?"

The Therizinosaurus started spinning, approaching the Styracosaurus. Blitz wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack and change back into a card as soon as he got hit.

"Blitz!" Dinoman rushed to grab the card. However, the Therizinosaurus wasn't done yet. He was about to slash his claws.

Aki's eyes widened in horror. "Watch out!" She had no clue how it happened, her legs carried her to the man, taking his arm, trying to pull him away. He was too heavy for her to move.

He felt the same sense of protection towards her and pushed her from the danger that was coming. She fell to the ground, far enough to be safe.

The Therizinosaur suddenly swiped his claws, hitting Dinoman. He fell down, bleeding from deep wounds. His helmet was lying around, damaged by the dino. His face was revealed.

Aki gasped, covering her mouth. She couldn't believe her eyes. "Spike...?"

Everyone even the three fightings turned their attention to that.

Aki got up and ran to her husband with tears in her eyes. "...Spike...are you okay?" she asked, her voice shaking. She hugged him tightly.

"Aki..." He wrapped his healthy arm around her. "...you need to...stay away...it's dangerous here..."

"I'm not leaving you," she sobbed.

The dinosaur roared. They looked at it. "Aki...please..." She glared at him. "I. Am. Not. Leaving."

She placed a finger to her necklace. It shined in grey light and the light formed into a crystal. She held it with both of her hands.

Aki glanced at the Therizinosaurus and yelled, "stay away!" Her scream changed into an unbearable, loud noise as the crystal started to glow.

The dino roared loudly, shaking his head.

Rex also reacted to it, covering his ears, cringing in pain, fighting the love potion. Her voice got inside his head, making him remember. He also heard another female voice. "Don't cry..." she said before fading away. He uncovered his ears, standing perfectly still, panting heavily. He looked up to see his friends.

Once she noticed Rex's eyes changed back to blue and he stopped commanding Ace, Zoe hurried to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're back!" She knew it. She knew it was him again.

He was stunned by her sudden action for a while, but he hugged her back. "Yes, I... I am..."

All three of their dinosaurs stopped fighting.

Max glanced at his best friend, frowning slightly, feeling guilty for starting off a fight.

"Rex, I'm..."

The blonde smiled at him. "I know."

Another roar from the Therizinosaurus sounded and they looked at him. He was about to attack once the horrible noise silenced.

The determination and adrenalin in Aki were now gone. She was shaking, holding Spike tightly.

Before anyone else could step in, the trees around started to grow bigger than they ever could, wrapping around the Therizinosaurus' claws. They all seemed to be even more confused.

Reese was standing there, holding out a glowing green crystal, very likely controlling the trees. Unfortunately, they weren't strong enough to hold the dinosaur's giant claws. As he broke out he looked more furious than ever before.

There must have been a way to stop him.

Then the Triceratops, Carnotaurus, and Parasaurolophus attacked him all at once, knocking him down. They turned back at their partners, roaring encouragingly.

The D-team looked at each other. "They don't want us to fight one another," Zoe realized. "This is our fault," Max told his two friends, looking at his injured father, "if we...if I just..." He trembled, tears filling up his purple eyes. Rex touched his shoulder. "We can fix it now," he reassured him.

Max nodded, smiling at him determinedly. "Together."

"Together." Rex nodded, smiling back. They bumped their fists together.

Zoe walked over to them. "You didn't think of leaving me out, did you?"

"Never!"

Spike, Aki, and Reese were looking at them with smiles on their faces. "Finally..."

"Chomp, you gotta stop that Therizinosaurus!"

"Ace, keep him away from everyone!"

"Paris, back them up!"

Chomp rammed into the Therizinosaurus while Ace and Paris surrounded it. Therizino pushed the Triceratops away and slashed his claws. Ace was fast enough to avoid, but Paris got hit. She fell to the ground, whining in pain.

"Oh, no! Paris!"

"He's so strong," Max growled, "can we even beat him when we couldn't do it the last time?"

"We're much stronger now," Rex reminded him, "we need to distract him and strike all at once."

"Distract him?" Zoe repeat, "that's it!" She pressed a button on her communicator and a move card came out of it. She took it. "Ta-da!"

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Max asked her worriedly, recognizing the card.

"It's the only one we have," she reassured him, then she swiped the card, "Metal wing!"

Three Pteranodons appeared behind Paris and flew up in the sky. Therizino watched them, trying to attack them, as the boys looked at each other and nodded.

Rex pulled out his move card and ran it across his stone plate. "Ninja Attack!" Ace rushed towards Therizino, creating wind clones. They all jumped up and landed around the Therizinosaurs; they circled around him. Then they started running at him, hitting him like 12 times.

At the same time, Zoe commanded the Pteranodons to strike. They flew right at Therizino, all three hitting him.

"Now, Max!"

The brunette was ready, already holding a move card in his unbroken hand. He swiped the card across his communicator display that was hanging on his belt. "Lightning Strike!"

Chomp stood up on two as electricity gathered into a ball between his horns, then stomped on the ground, shooting lightning at the Therizinosaur. It got knocked away and a weak roar before coming back to its card, falling to the ground.

"We did it!" The D-team high-fived together, smiling as their partners roared in victory.

But the battlefield wasn't gone yet.

Sabina and Star were still fighting Mary and Feray.

Dark was almost crying, hiding behind Sabi. "This is wrong...Don't fight..." she kept repeating.

"Don't worry, we'll end it soon," Sabi reassured her.

"You're right about that," Mary chuckled, pulling out a move card.

Sabi quickly swiped her move card. "Atomic Bomb!" But in the middle of Star's attack...

"Fire Cannon!" Fire gathered in Feray's and she shot a ball of fire at the Dilophosaurus, turning her into a card.

"Star!"

The sky changed back and Sabi went to take Star's card. "You did well..." She smiled at the card.

Mary was in euphoria from her victory. She looked to her darling, seeing that he picked up the Therizinosaurus card. She was oblivious to what's been happening outside her fight. "Great job, Rexy!" She clapped her hands together. "Now, we can go back without any punishments."

"No," Rex replied.

"...What...?"

"I'm not going back there."

"What are you...saying?" Mary asked, her voice shaking, "have you forgotten why you joined? They can't give you what we can!"

"It doesn't matter what happened; I can't fix the past, only build a better future," Rex said, keeping completely calm, decided. He touched the blue stone necklace he got from Bel.

"It's still a future!" she reminded him, tears filling up her eyes, "we can...make everything better...you can have anything you wish for..."

Rex felt bad for hurting her so much. She is an evil person, but she still has feelings. "I have everything here."

"No...Rexy, you love me... Right?" she wondered, losing it with every word she says.

Rex looked away. She's still just a person. He shook his head. "I've _never_ loved you. You only fell for your own tricks."

"...no...Not you...I can't lose you too, Rexy...why..." Her eyes were wide opened, her breath was getting faster. "Why does everybody always hate me...?!" she cried out, she finally snapped, holding her hair, almost ripping them off, "I will not be ignored...! I will not be overlooked! I'll be the princess of darkness! I won't be ignored! I won't be hated! Just love me!"

Everyone was scared and confused. Dark was the only one to step out. "Nobody would hate you if you didn't manipulate them. You take them all as your puppets," she told the ginger.

"Sh...shut up...! They love me... They all love me!" Mary pulled out another move card. She had no control over herself; there was no stopping her.

"LOVE MEEEEEE!" she yelled as the card glowed and activated. Dark fire gathered near Feray's jaws, creating a huge fiery meteor.

"Fire Scorcher?!"

Feray shot the meteor at Dark, but all the remaining dinosaurs stood in front of her, getting the hit for her. All three roared in pain until they turned into their cards.

Once the attack was over, Feray was exhausted at returned into a card as well. Heartbroken Mary grabbed it and teleported away.

It was over. The D-team picked up their cards and summoned their dinosaurs in chibi forms. Chomp, Ace, and Paris happily started playing together.

"Great job, kids...! I'm proud of you," Dr. Taylor said. They looked at him. Max, who just saw his father's wounds closer, panicked, "Whaa! Dad, are you okay?"

"This is fine..." the man chuckled despite having three deep wounds on his left arm and other three on his torso, bleeding.

"This is not fine!" Aki snapped at him worriedly.

Rex walked closer, searching in his bag. "I might have something... Here!" He pulled out a glass with a green liquid inside.

"That's-" "Mary's healing potion," Rex finished instead of Dark, "I was her storage just in case she needs any."

Aki took the glass and carefully let small drops of the liquid fell into her husband's wounds. After a short amount of time, they patched, leaving only scars at their place.

Everyone smiled with relief.

Sabi stayed out of the moment she didn't belong in.

"I'm so sorry for all of this," Rex suddenly apologized.

"It wasn't your fault," Spike reassured him.

"It was..."

"Hey, I'm also sorry for everything," Max told his best friend, blushing and rubbing the back of his head.

"No, I'm sorry," Zoe joined.

Reese, who was looking slightly away because the blood, rolled her eyes and sighed. "Rex, I apologize for the slap and, Max, I apologize for acting harshly before."

They all forgave one another; they were finally all together, but then Rex started screaming in horrible pain.

"Rex!" the others gasped.

He held the back of his neck, his body shaking like crazy. Once again electric shocks filled his body, making him powerless.

As the pain faded away, he fell to the ground unconscious.

—

 **Oh my God, this is my longest chapter so far. Congrats if you made it this far. I know I'm evil for doing this kind of a cliffhanger, but your waiting on the next chapter will be worth it, I promise.**

 **Btw, that Aki headcanon at the beginning belongs to TheCrazyRavenclaw.**


	13. Welcome Home

Luminary lies near Sanjo. It's a small town where Sanjo's mayor's daughter, Ema Wada, was born.

It was a peaceful evening; a married couple was walking back home with some groceries.

"Are you sure this will be enough food for a few days?" the man asked his wife, referring to the little amount of food they bought due to their lack of money.

"For a few days? Honey, this will be enough for the entire week! I'll make you so delicious meals that you'll beg for more and cry your eyes out while eating!" the blond doctor replied enthusiastically, quickly changing poses. She leaned closer to her husband, then away, put her finger on her chin, saluted and back to a normal stand.

He could only smile at that; she's such a dork. Her cooking wasn't as great as she thought, but in the situation, they're in right now it's the best they have.

"I just wish...he... could taste it too," she murmured, "I'm worried about him."

He sighed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I know. He will taste it one day. We must have faith in him. I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah... If he's anything like you," she chuckled.

"He's more like you at that," he told her.

They soon got to a small house with very few rooms. As they walked in a black-haired young man greeted them. He was sitting on the floor, several computer hardware pieces laying around him. He was putting them together.

"How is the building going?" the older man asked.

"Good. I'm missing only a CPU," the black-haired said, "it would be easy to buy but without jobs...we're lucky to have something to eat. We'll run out of money eventually."

"That's why we need to hurry in building the computer and creating the device, so we can call help from Sanjo without getting caught. If we put our names anywhere it'll be easier for _him_ to find us."

"Right. I'll try to obtain it a different way. I can possibly check out the junkyard again. How's the device?" the black-haired wondered.

"We're still missing a power source to expand its ability."

"Is it going to work?"

"Possibly. It's the only weapon we have against... _him_ ," the older man growled with hatred in his voice, "once it is done, we can find the others and stop hiding."

—

Meanwhile, in Sanjo, Dr. Drake was chasing Ace with his giant needle across the room to give him anesthetics. His oldest daughter and wife were standing in the room, watching.

"Ace, don't run away! It won't hurt, I promise. Just one shot and you'll feel nothing!"

The Carnotaurus hissed scaredly and climbed on a shelf to hide.

"Come on... Why do you keep running away?"

Reese sighed in irritation. "Maybe you should use a smaller needle?" she suggested.

"Never!" her father replied determinately as the light flashed across his glasses.

"Okay." She shrugged.

Ace tried to scratch his forehead with his short arms, they all noticed it. "Does he have something on his forehead?" Rosie wondered.

"Exactly. I suppose something's implanted there," Reese said, "that's why I brought him here to get it out. Dr. Taylor mentioned that he witnessed Ace shaking his head and roaring in pain when he refused to fight. I'm certain that that must be how they forced him to obey, through using physical pain." She stayed calm while saying all that, making her parents a little concerned.

"I should have expected something so cruel from _him_ ," Mike growled quietly.

"Whatever it is the Akuno has implemented in Ace's forehead, Rex has the same thing on the back of his neck," Reese continued, "once the fight was over, Rex seemed to get electric shocks and then fainted."

"So, when we take those things out both Rex and Ace should be back to themselves?" her mother asked her.

"Possibly, but that's still just a theory. Rex is at the Taylors right now, everyone even Zoe's taking care of him. They said that somebody will try to take the 'device' out of him while he's sleeping. Meanwhile, I'll analyze Ace's once we get it."

"But we'd need to get Ace down and give him anesthetics first," Mike added as Ace was lying on the shelf he couldn't reach. If he even tries to move closer the Carnotaurus will freak out again because of the needle.

"Let me do it for once," Rosie offered.

He quickly glanced at her as if she was crazy. "But, dear-!"

"Mike." She glared at him.

"Okay..." He shrugged sadly.

—

As Reese mentioned, Rex was in the Taylor household, sleeping in his old bed. Max and Zoe were sitting on the ground with Chomp and Paris, watching over their friend.

"Zoe, I'm sorry for...what Chomp and I did to you. I didn't mean to. I only wanted to stop that guy from controlling Paris and...I didn't think it through..." Max whispered sadly.

"Don't forget that I ran into the attack," she reminded him, "even though Drack controlled Paris I couldn't allow anyone to hurt her. She's my friend."

Max lowered his head, finally understanding the motive of her actions. She was able to do anything to prevent Rex from getting hurt. "That's why you didn't want to fight Rex..."

"Yeah...We're a team. We're friends," Zoe said with a smile on her face.

He looked at her and nodded.

She took Rex's hand gently. "I hope he'll be okay..." she murmured.

Max clenched his fist as he saw the girl holding his best friend's hand. It felt weird seeing that; he was mad, but couldn't bring himself to say that. "He'll be fine. You know him," he reassured her.

"I guess..."

"I'm sure of it!" He grinned.

She nodded. "You're right."

—

After an hour or so, Reese entered the D-lab with an indigo-colored chip in her hand. She stopped in the door; somebody was in the teleportation room.

A younger boy with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses turned around and gasped. "Reese?"

"Hi, Justin."

"Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Surprised to see me?"

"Yes! You have not been here for weeks. Of course, I am surprised."

"I'm sorry about that. I needed some time... But that won't repeat, I can guarantee," she replied.

"What do have there?" Justin noticed that was holding something. She walked over to him and showed him the chip. "This is what's been causing troubles recently. The Akuno used this to make Ace aggressive or that's at least my theory."

"Oh, you mean that they sent electroshocks into Ace's brain," Justin joined, but then he realized, "they forced him using pain... That is so cruel."

"We must analyze it to be sure."

—

It was dark outside. Max and Chomp fell asleep as they were watching over Rex. Max was leaning on Zoe who was stroking Paris' back.

She sighed, still being worried.

Suddenly, somebody patted on her shoulder. Zoe jerked in surprise and quickly looked behind. Mrs. Taylor was standing there with a warm smile on her face. "Zoe, sweetie, it's late. Your parents are here; it's time to head home," she told the teen.

The pink-haired looked briefly at her unconscious friend. "But what about Rex?" she wondered.

"We'll take care of him," Aki reassured her as her smile widened, "you've had a rough day."

Paris roared quietly and nuzzled her partner's leg, trying to convince her as well.

Zoe nodded. "Okay." She got up carefully. Aki was holding sleeping Max so the brunette with a broken arm doesn't fall to the floor.

"Goodnight." Zoe and Paris headed downstairs.

"Goodnight, Zoe."

—

Back at the D-lab, Justin and Reese just finished analyzing the chip.

The blonde turned to her assistant with a slight proud smile. "You were right, Justin."

He looked at her in shock, his glasses sliding on the tip of his nose. "I was?"

She nodded. "Absolutely." She picked the chip up. "This chip can produce a high amount of voltages to be painful, but not too high to cause brain damage. Just one press of a button on a controller and the victim would go through an unforgettable experience. Rex needs to get rid off his as soon as possible. Justin, you should head out home. I'll do the same."

"Alright then." The boy packed all his stuff and left. "Goodnight!"

—

Before Reese went home, she headed to the Taylors with the news.

Once she entered the house she was caught by a surprise of a baby crying. She peeked in the living where the cry came from and witnessed Aki sitting on the couch and holding a baby.

Reese was confused.

Dr. Taylor noticed the blonde standing in the door. "Hi, Reese."

The scientist snapped from her shock. "Huh?...um..." was the only she could say before asking, "when did you get another one?" Aki could only chuckle as an answer.

Then the real answer to Reese's question came downstairs. The black-haired doctor from earlier.

"Wendy?"

Reese was smart enough to put two and two together now. That must be Wendy's son. After the whole scene with her boyfriend, she probably didn't have anyone to look after her son at this time, so she took him with her as she inspects Rex's possible injuries.

"So, is he hurt?" Spike asked Wendy. The woman shook her head. "Not really. But I found something on the back of his neck."

"A chip like this, if I'm not mistaking," Reese said, showing her the chip. "Exactly the same," Wendy replied, giving her the other chip. This one was however still covered in blood. Reese's face turned pale. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

"I noticed Rex's skin was burned around this thing. I took it out and patched the wound," Wendy told them, "he should be better tomorrow."

Aki got up and walked over to her. "Thank you so much."

"It was no problem. I thank you for taking care of Gerard," Wendy said and took her son into her arms, "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"That's okay."

"Call me if you need anything. Bye." Wendy left.

"Goodbye."

Reese's eyes were still closed; it was a reflex. "Reese, are you okay?" Aki asked her.

The blonde opened her eyes. "Um...Sorry...it's just...the blood." She sighed. "Anyway, Rex and Ace should be safe now. If both the chips are out they shouldn't turn against us anymore."

"But is that really the only reason they joined the Akuno?" Dr. Taylor asked her.

"I highly doubt that. These were only used as a motivation if they disobeyed," Reese theorized, "or possibly as a punishment. And the love potion isn't it either."

"You're right. He was with them before they used that... He kept repeating something about fixing his mistake," Dr. Taylor remembered, "something must have happened."

"Cruz said that Rex had his reasons," Aki spoke up, "he should tell us himself."

They nodded.

"But...we should probably tell the kids about the crystals," she continued, "they saw us use them, so they'll want an explanation."

Reese nodded again. "They're going need to know how to use the crystal."

"Dr. Owen should be here by the morning. We could try to explain everything tomorrow," Spike said.

"Alright then. Goodnight." Reese headed home.

"Goodnight."

Once the front door closed, Aki looked at her husband. "So, Dinoman, huh?"

Spike gulped. "Are you mad at me that I haven't told you anything?"

She raised her eyebrow. "You think?"

—

 **"How dare you fail me?"** Zepar asked Mary, sitting on a throne in the dark room.

"I-I d-deep-ply ap-apologize, your majesty..." Mary stuttered, shaking in terror.

 **"You managed to lose two prisoners and another card!"** Zepar yelled at her. She was furious. **"I shouldn't have trusted you. Princess, lock her up."**

The ginger gasped. "N-no... Please, no, your majesty, please! G-give me...Give me another chance!" Kami, who had the black cosmos stone around her neck, grabbed Mary, dragging her away.

 **"You've had enough chances. You deserve to rot there like the worm you let escape. We'll see if you'll ever taste food again."**

"PLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Mary cried as she was taken out of the room, struggling.

Zepar then looked at Drack, who was standing in the room quietly. **"It is time for your plan. Find that girl tomorrow."**

Drack nodded. "Yes, your majesty."

—

 _Sun shined at Rex's face, waking him up. He slowly opened his blue eyes. He sat up on the bed and realized that he is in his room._

 _His room in the future. Was everything up until now just a dream?_

 _He stood up and walked over to the window. It was a beautiful sunny day. He rubbed his sleepy eyes; everything was still there._

 _Strange..._

 _He shook his head and dressed up. He wore a grayish-blue full-body suit and the dinosaur tooth around his neck._

 _Rex walked out of his room and headed downstairs. He was greeted by his mother and father. He stood on the stairs. He couldn't believe that._

 _Everything from his repeated nightmares flashed in front of his._

 _"Good morning, master Rex." Jonathan walked to the stairs and bowed. Rex snapped out, looking at him. He frowned. Then he glanced back at his parents._

 _He was shaking his head. "No...You're dead... You're all gone..." he murmured._

 _His mother walked over to him and cupped his cheek. "We're still alive."_

 _"No...! You were dying in front of my eyes," Rex cried, "you're gone... As much as I wish to stay with you, I can't. My friends are waiting for me."_

 _"We understand. We'll meet again soon."_

 _Rex nodded. "We will."_

—

Rex woke up in his bed in his old room at the Taylors. He sat up and sighed. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

After what he's done, his friends still accepted him. This can't be real. This must be another dream.

He dressed up and took on the tooth and a bluestone necklace. Then he headed downstairs and walked into the dining hall. He was greeted by wide smiles. He was frozen in place, still not believing this was real.

His father, Mrs. Taylor, Dr. Taylor, Max, Chomp, and Cole all seemed to be happy to see him.

"Dude!" Cole rushed to him and embraced him, "hey, it's so great to see you!"

This is a lie, isn't it?

Mrs. Taylor went to them with a plate of dinosaur-shaped cookies. "Rex, you're still a little pale. You should eat something. Here, they're your favorite."

Cole pulled away from the blonde. Rex looked at the plate and took one cookie. "...um...Th-thank you..." He took a bite.

His eyes widened; it was delicious. He remembers that taste too well. An honest smile formed on his face. This was real; he just knew it.

"Guys..."

Rex headed to the table and sat down. He joined the breakfast with the family.

Everyone had so much fun. Rex forgot about his worries.

Once they finished eating, Cole's phone rang. He looked at it and stood up. "I gotta go," he said and rushed outside. When he opened the front door, he almost ran into Zoe, Paris, and Reese. He avoided them, heading away.

The girls walked in. As they entered the dining hall Max and Rex stood up and Zoe ran to them to hug them. "How are you two feeling?" she asked them.

"Better..." Rex replied.

"My arm still hurts a little, but I'm fine," Max told her.

She smiled at them.

The adults looked at each other. "Do you really think we should tell them?" Dr. Owen wondered.

Reese nodded. "They need to be prepared."

"They're still just kids..." Aki murmured.

"I agree with Reese," Spike said, "They should know what's going on."

The rest nodded. They told the kids to sit down on the couch and started explaining.

"So, about what you saw yesterday..." Aki started, but couldn't say more.

"Do you remember that boy who mentioned that you are the owners of the legendary crystals?" Reese decided to continue. Max and Zoe nodded. Rex seemed confused about that boy. "Everything he said is true. Every person that obtained a stone plate this time is an owner."

"But what are these legendary crystals?" Max frowned, not understanding.

"You have no idea?" Rex wondered, raising his eyebrow.

"Nope." Zoe shook her head.

The blonde sighed and started telling them about the Greyholt legend. Since he read about it in the past and was paying attention in history class, he knew enough to fill them in. They both began to slowly understand as they were disturbed by the story.

Even the others didn't feel comfortable with its dark tone. Only Reese managed to keep her stone face.

As Rex stopped talking there was an awkward silence.

"The power of those crystals was considered as too dangerous," Dr. Owen said, "they were given to trustworthy people called the guardians. They're meant to protect the power inside the crystals and the owners. Some of them are even able to protect two of them but not more. The crystals were passed from person to person and then some of them ended up with us."

"So, you are... You all are..." Max realized, "guardians?"

"Wait a minute, if you should protect us, why didn't you just tell us about this sooner?" Zoe finally asked an important question. The guardians didn't know exactly how to answer.

"We all agreed on keeping the truth from the owners until the right time comes," Dr. Taylor spoke up, "we were afraid that once you have the crystals it would draw attention to you and put you in big danger...but also...to keep ourselves safe. The more people know the bigger threat the Akuno becomes. They are closer and closer to getting rid off us. They've already..." He suddenly stopped talking, looking down sadly. "O-one of the guardians, Komatsu, was already killed. We're 10 guardians after that."

Max and Zoe gasped at the familiar name. Rex didn't react at all, he was bothered by something completely else.

"8..." the blonde murmured.

Everyone looked at him confusedly.

"There's only 8 of you now..." Rex repeated, "the last time I've been in the Akuno they brought two guardians there, Phoebus Kato and Micheal Miharu, and killed them."

After those words, everybody was stunned. People they know...No...People they knew. Their classmate and friend...

It was as Rex said; Andy's father, Phoebus Kato, and Ema's best friend, Michael Miharu, are dead.

"Anyway, you need to know how to control your crystals," Reese stated as if she didn't even care about the dead ones, "I think that they might be even able to help your dinosaurs and-"

Then the doorbell rang. Aki, who really needed any distraction from the news, headed to open the front door; her face was pale, her eyes filling up with tears.

 _She had no idea what kind of news is still waiting for her today._

She opened the door, seeing Zoe's parents ready to visit alongside with a little Carnotaurus with a patch on its forehead. As Ace sniffed a very familiar place, he rushed inside to his partner. He nuzzled Rex's leg.

"Ace!" Rex smiled happily. He picked the dino up and cuddled him. "I'm glad you're okay."

"He seems to feel better and looks more cheerful than yesterday," Mike told them as he walked to them with the others, "the patch needs to be changed daily. He should be getting better."

"Thank you, Dr. Drake." Rex stroked Ace's head, then his smile suddenly vanished.

Rex stood up and headed away, still holding Ace.

"Rex!" they called.

The blonde stopped in the door and looked back at them. There was a slight frown on his face. That welcoming and family atmosphere hit him so suddenly that he couldn't handle it. He panted softly, giving everyone sad eyes.

Dr. Owen figured out what was going through his son's mind. He walked over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it'll be better if they know the truth."

Ace licked his partner's cheek.

Rex nodded and took a deep breath. "I...I joined the Akuno because...because...they promised to give me something nobody else could... I agree to help them...without having any idea they'd target you. I thought...I thought that once it's over, this timeline would be simply erased and everything would go back to normal...but that changed. I realized they would never do that. I needed several people to open my eyes to see that. I shouldn't have come back... The...the reason I'm here is revenge..." He clenched his fist tightly biting his lips. "The reason I came back is that...Drack killed my parents...!"

The others gasped, staring in absolute shock.

Mike tried to hold back his anger as he heard that name again.

Rosie held her shaking hands together at her chest.

Aki quickly covered her mouth.

Spike gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, fighting the pain.

Zoe's eyes filled up with tears.

Max glanced away; he was mad at himself for judging his friend's decision.

Rex started crying, his body shaking. "I'm so sorry... I...I didn't want to hurt you..." He had several flashbacks to him slapping Zoe, then getting hit by Reese and almost being beaten up by Max.

"I hurt all of you... I'm...I'm so sorry about everything I've done..."

He was sobbing when suddenly Aki hugged him tightly. His eyes widened.

"Shh...It's alright. Everything's okay. Nobody's angry at you. It wasn't your fault..."

"It was..."

She shook her head. "We can't blame you. All of us would do the same. It'll never happen again. Everything's going to be alright." Aki smiled at him and stroked his cheek. "I'll make more dino-shaped cookies, okay?"

"Okay...mom..." Rex whispered. She looked at him with a shock on her face, surprised to hear him call her that. Then she smiled widely at him and kissed his forehead. She headed to the kitchen.

"Rex, we're so sorry," Max told him, "if I only knew-"

"It's okay, Max. Thank you, everyone..." the blonde said, wiping his tears.

At that moment, to everyone's surprise, the glass sliding door to the backyard opened and Cole rushed inside with Justin, Sue, Alice, and their partners.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It is time to properly celebrate dude's come back to the family!"

"Cole, what the-" "Let's start the party!" Cole yelled over his father's question. Spike sighed and looked at Aki. "I'll make more cookies," she said.

"Yes!" the teen sang. He headed inside with the rest.

Zoe then noticed something different. "Alice, your hair." The brunette stopped. She was right; her hair was much shorter, plus she had a scar on her left cheek.

"That's from the fight with Mary, right?" Rex asked her. Alice glanced at him, blushing. "Y-yeah... I can't have only half of them short, can I?" she told him quietly, making everyone shocked once again. She finally spoke up in front of them after five long years. She blushed more at the attention and pulled a hoodie over her head. Then she noticed that Rex's eyes were red; he was crying.

"They know...?" she asked him quietly. He nodded.

Alice, Sue, and Rex sat between Max and Zoe and the celebration began.

They all were talking and simply having fun. The chibies were playing together.

"He did really great. I bet he's even better than you when you were his age," Dr. Taylor praised Justin in front of Reese, making the boy flush. "Yes, I've heard something. I am actually impressed that you managed to put another communicator together, especially at your age," she turned to Justin.

"You are?" Justin wondered, "it was not difficult. I simply stuck to your blueprints. I have watched you work so many times, I know what to do. However, I would not say that I am good." He scratched his cheek bashfully.

"He even protected the lab no matter what," Dr. Taylor continued.

Once the cookies were finished, Aki put a full plate on the table in front of the kids. "Be careful, they're still hot," she warned them. Of course, Max didn't listen and immediately grabbed one cookie to find out himself that they were still hot.

"I had to tell him I'm Dinoman or he wouldn't let me in the D-lab." As she heard that Aki glared at her husband. He gulped; she was still a little mad at him for keeping another secret from her. "I-I had to tell him! But Justin was the only one who knew except for Blitz and Karo. I swear!"

"My mom knew as well," Justin reminded him, not realizing he made it much worse for the man.

"So, Lucy knew?"

"I didn't tell her. She figured it herself," Spike tried to explain.

Reese sighed. "Is this what they call marriage goals?" Her parents nodded. "Seems I'll avoid that then," she murmured, but her parents shook their heads.

Soon the cookies were cold enough to eat. Max grabbed a few and started eating. "I'd never expect you, Sue..." He swallowed the first cookie and continued. "To save dinosaurs in a group."

"The hell's that suppose to mean?"

"Mhm... You aren't really that type of person," he said.

"Hey!"

"Well, he isn't wrong," Zoe told her best friend.

"I guess," Sue mumbled, "Welp, first I thought they were annoying, but now they're annoying just a little, except for Cole. I had to. What the hell would they do without their strongest member?"

Cole choked on his orange juice. "What do you mean 'strongest member'?" He glared at Sue.

Sue shrugged. "Annie and I are obviously the best."

"Don't lie! The Compy squad is much better."

"Oh hell, you really think that you're stronger than me?"

"Of course I'm stronger than you!"

"Please, just say the truth. Sue is the best. Sue is the smartest and the toughest."

Cole slid behind the couch.

Rex reached for a cold enough cookie when Cole wrapped his arm around him and pulled him away from the table. "Argh...!"

"Let's ask dude; he fought both of us."

"Hell yes!" They both looked at the blonde, waiting for an answer. Rex sighed sadly as he watched Max eat the cookies.

"Honestly, Tashi and Alice are the strongest," he replied.

"WHAT?! NO WAY!" both Cole and Sue yelled.

Alice's cheeks turned red.

Sue smirked. "I'm still better than you."

"No, you're not!"

"Hell yes, I am!"

Zoe groaned, covering her ears. "Can you two stop already?" she asked them. Sue glanced at her and shut up. Cole, however, still argued back.

"No, you're not!" But he got no response. He let go of Rex and took a sip.

Rex reached for that last cookie, but Max was faster. He grabbed it and started eating it.

The blonde frowned sadly. They...they're all gone...

As his eyes started to fill with tears Alice patted on his shoulder. He looked at her to see that she was offering him the last cookie. It was the only one she took.

"Alice..." He smiled at her sacrifice. "Thank you. You're my savior," Rex joked before taking a bite of the cookie. He's never thought he'd feel so happy again, but here he is with the closest people to him, having so much fun.

"How is Kyra?" Dr. Taylor asked Justin. "Better," Justin replied, "they are already back home. Mom seems to be still angry; I do not think she has the right to blame you. It was not much different from the usual... I am sure Kyra will be back to normal soon. A family friend is taking care of her right now because mom had something important to do. She will forget about it eventually."

Meanwhile, the dinosaurs were playing together, but that wasn't enough fun for them. Chomp, Ace, and Paris had an idea. They led the others to radio and since they already knew what to do, they managed to turn it on.

A romantic song sounded through the room. Cole immediately gasped; he recognized the song. "Love of Heaven?! Holy dino!" he yelled, delighted, "it's on the radio... It is on the freaking radio! We're on the radio!"

"Yeah, yeah. Chill the hell out, rockstar," Sue murmured.

As the song by Taken Down to Heaven, a band Cole and Kyra were part of, continued Mike walked over to his wife, offered her a hand and asked, "shall we dance?" Rosie smiled back and nodded. She took his hand and they started dancing.

Spike took inspiration in that and asked Aki to dance with him to the song. She obviously agreed.

Watching the parents dance, Max wanted to try it too. He unsurely looked at Zoe; Rex did the same, very likely thinking of the same thing. Before they could ask her, she stood up with Sue.

"Wait!"

"Too late, boys," Sue giggled, wrapping her arms around Zoe. The girls started dancing together.

"No fair..." Max sighed defeatedly.

Rex turned to Alice. "Shall we dance?" he asked her bashfully. Her face was completely red, she stuttered quietly and nodded slowly.

Max frowned once his best friend stood up to dance with his partner. He was left alone. "That's for eating all those cookies, isn't it?" he whispered to himself.

Then somebody reached a hand to him. He looked up to see Reese. "You don't want to be left out, do you?" she wondered, "take this as an apology for acting so harsh to you." He grinned at her, taking her hand.

The rest of the room was dancing. Unlike Sue, who pulled Zoe really close, Alice stayed away from Rex, blushing the whole time.

Lonely Dr. Owen sighed. "Maybe I should try to propose to someone again. I want somebody to dance with. Justin, do you think your mother would say yes to a proposal?"

"Moment, what?!" Justin was caught off guard with that question. He had very mixed feelings about that idea.

Such happiness in the house could make everyone feel good, however, they had no idea of the anger of their enemy. She's lost a servant and is holding the other one in a prison. She had to use her secret weapons if she wanted to succeed.

—

Amy was walking through a park, holding her pet lizard Hana the third. At least somebody stayed with her.

She felt so lonely that she couldn't bring herself to smile.

Zoe told her that she had something very important to do, she's said that several days in a row to her, making Amy feel unwanted. And when it wasn't Zoe who ditched her it was Sue. That girl did everything in her power to keep Amy away from her best friend.

Amy sighed sadly and sat on a bench. "You won't leave, will you, Hana?" she asked quietly. The red lizard titled its head. "Why...Why doesn't anybody love me...?" she sobbed.

"If they can't appreciate you, they don't deserve you," a boyish voice said. She looked up and backed away from a black-haired boy; his eyes were dark and his long coat too. She noticed a gray symbol of two half-moons connected.

She stared at him scaredly. Hana hissed at him.

"You don't need to be scared." The boy smiled at her and sat beside her. "What's your name?"

"A-Amy..." she whispered.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Drack."

—

 **Oh, I hope you have mixed feelings from this chapter.**

 **I'm expecting some theories and reactions from you surrounding certain two scenes, so don't disappoint me ;)**

 **The dino-shaped cookie idea and Love of Heaven song title belong to TheCrazyRavenclaw.**


	14. Without Memories

Once the battle against Mary and the Therizinosaurus was over, Dark, the girl that saved Sabina and then her sister, confessed that she has no place to go. Sabi immediately offered her to live with her and her family. Dark didn't want to agree at first since she didn't mean to bother anyone and be a dead weight to the Kon family, but Sabi insisted; she refused 'no' as an answer. Dark had no other choice but to agree.

The small girl was welcomed in no problem. Sabi made her someplace in her room and herself a bed on the floor. Dark didn't seem to like that.

"No, I can't sleep in your bed. I can't let you sleep on the floor..." she murmured.

"Dark, it's okay. You're a guest. It's not a big deal."

"But...Sabina-"

"Sabi. My friends call me Sabi," the brunette corrected her. Dark nodded. "You should take a shower, meanwhile, I'll find some clothes for you, okay?"

"S-shower...?" Dark shivered.

"Yeah, is there something wrong?"

She blushed, glancing away from her, embarrassed. "I... I'm..." she mumbled. "Sorry, I couldn't hear that. What?" Sabi wondered.

"I'm scared of water..."

"Aquaphobia?" Well, that complicates things. Sabi had no idea what to do, she's never read anything about the life of an aquaphobic. "Should I go with you then?"

Dark nodded slowly. "It'll be better. I usually feel dizzy and start to remember things I don't want to..."

Sabi assumed she's referring to the origins of her phobia. She took Dark's hand and led her to the bathroom. Everything went pretty good, Dark was shivering the whole time, Sabi expected it much worse.

When they came back to the room, Sabi gave her some of her old clothes. The clothes were so baggy on Dark's thin body.

Next, Dark had to eat something, she hasn't eaten for days, maybe weeks. While she was eating, Sabi noticed a pouch Dark had with her. Star sniffed to it and wagging her tail. Sabi frowned thoughtfully. What could be inside?

She was curious about it; she reached her hand to it, but then stopped. She remembered what happened the last time she wanted to know more.

She headed to the dining hall and Star followed her. She saw Dark quickly eating. The girl was so modest until it came to food.

Sabi chuckled softly.

"Oh, Sabi. I'm glad you came," her mother told her, "I wanted to ask you how long is your friend going to stay here."

"Um..." Sabi glanced down, trying to make up a believable lie.

"Something wrong?" her father asked her.

"It's...hard to explain... Dark has no place to go. She's...This whole time she's been living in...the Akuno... It's a place full of dark magic."

"You've watched Harry Potter again?"

"Yes, dad, but this is real."

Dark looked up from her meal. "...she is telling the truth. I don't remember much, but I've lived in a dark place, Akuno. There aren't nice people, for the most part, that's where I got some of these scars...and...and..." she sniffled.

"Dark..."

The girl stood up from the finished meal. "I appreciate your help... But I don't deserve this. I don't think I can stay... I won't bother you."

"Nonsense," Sabina's mother said, "you can stay here as long as you want. You've done so much for our daughters."

"Okay..." Dark walked away.

"Sabi, does she have any family?" the brunette's father wondered.

"I don't know. But it seems she doesn't want to remember. She even refuses her own name, Damita Makuto."

"Makuto you say?" He headed to his office. He was sure he's heard that name before.

—

Ema Wada was sitting in her room, holding a phone to her ear. She heard only beeping, nobody answered.

"Come on, Miharu... Miharu..." she murmured, frowning, "please...answer the phone...Michael..." She sighed and laid the phone on the desk. Miharu hasn't been answering the phone since the morning. He called her that he's going to visit somebody and then call her and visit her. That would definitely anger her father. She thought that he just changed his mind or something, but since he wasn't answering his phone and his mother had no idea where he was at the time, Ema got worried.

She looked at Ellen the Ampelosaurus. The dino tilted her head. "Where could he be...?" Ema murmured. Ellen only roared, making her sigh again.

"I must do something about it... Stay here, please..." Ellen sat down. Ema left the room. She walked across the big house and knocked on the door from her father's office.

"Shuryo, I am not joking!" sounded from the other side, "cut it out already. I am still the mayor of the city, you won't get away with this." Ema's father opened the door, holding a phone to his ear. He immediately ended the call without any word.

"What do you want?" he asked her rather hatefully.

She ignored his tune. "Father, I came to ask you for a favor. I've been calling Miharu for hours, but he's never answered. Nobody knows where he is."

"Ema, what have I told you about talking to that boy?" he growled.

"He is my best friend," Ema raised her voice, "and I'm worried about him. Would it be possible to make sure the best people are looking for him? Could you please do this for me, father?"

He stared into her brown eyes, silent for a minute. Then he closed the door shut.

Ema frowned and rushed into her room.

"That's enough." She ripped fancy clothes and jewels she had on her off; everything she wore just a second ago was laying on the floor except for the glasses she needed.

She dressed in some older and ordinary clothes, a cyan shirt, black shorts, and dark blue shoes. She grabbed a bag and put some stuff including her stone plate and move card in it. She took her money and opened the window.

"Let's go, Ellen."

The Ampelosaurus growled confusedly. Ema picked her up.

"If my father refuses to help then I'll find Miharu myself." She climbed out of the window.

Unknown to her, her father contacted a couple of policemen, the Kons, and asked them the same thing his daughter did.

—

Sabina's father was sitting in his office at his computer, searching something about Damita Makuto, convinced he's heard that name before.

"There it is!" he finally found what he was looking for when his phone rang. He answered once he noticed who was calling.

"Hello? Mayor Wada?"

"Lieutenant, I need you and your wife's help. My daughter thinks that something's happened to her...friend. According to her nobody knows where he is since the morning."

"So, you want us to start a search for him?"

"Yes. I need you to find him for her... His name is Michael Miharu, 14, he was born in Luminary."

"Alright, mayor."

"Thank you."

Kon headed from his office without bothering to turn off the computer.

"Hey, sergeant?"

His wife looked up at him.

"We have some work," he told her, holding up the phone.

—

It was evening when Ema got to the train station with Ellen. She headed to Luminary, a town where she and Michael were born. Michael and his mother travel there very often to spend weekends and holidays there.

She got on the train and soon she was at her destination. She walked to the Miharus.

However, Ellen seemed more interested in something or rather someone else. As they were at the place, Ellen tried to run in a different direction. Unnoticed by Ema, her dino actually headed to a married couple with groceries who lived right next door. Ema picked her up and went to the front door. "I know running from home wasn't the best decision, but what else can I do?" she asked her dino.

She rang the doorbell and after a while, a woman with light hair and greenish eyes, similar to Mrs. Komatsu, opened with a surprise on her face. "Ema?" She was shocked to see the girl but also by her unusual appearance.

"Good evening, Mrs. Miharu. I know it's been a long time. I came because of Michael."

The woman nodded. "Come in."

Ema walked in and the woman closed the door.

"So, he isn't back yet?" Ema wondered, putting Ellen to the floor.

"No," Mrs. Miharu shook her head, "you didn't have to come here so late."

"I know...But I'm worried about him."

"So am I... You and your pet can spend the night here. We can talk tomorrow."

"Thank you. I thought you'd need some company."

"That's kind of you. Do your parents know you're here?" Mrs. Miharu asked her.

"No... Please, don't tell anyone I'm here."

"I won't."

"Thank you... Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes."

"Okay then." Ema headed to the guest room. She was tired and nervous; she was hoping Miharu will simply appear the next day. She laid in the bed, staring into the ceiling. Ellen curled up on her chest.

"Miharu..."

—

Dark was about to go to bed. Sabi was on the balcony with Star, setting up her telescope. Dark watched her, she stumbled to the balcony door.

"What is it for?" she wondered.

Sabi who was currently on her knees, putting together the stand for the telescope, looked up at her. She stood up. "It's for watching stars and planets."

"You can see them from such a big distance?" Dark was amazed, her red eyes widened. Thought of the option of seeing something so far was marvelous.

"You didn't know it's possible?" Sabi asked her, not believing it.

The smaller girl shook her head. "I grew up in the Akuno and they haven't taught me many things. I know some basic things in life, but I don't remember from whom."

"Well, just like binoculars, telescopes have specially shaped glass in them that allows you to see things that are very far away," Sabi explained.

"You can see the actual stars then?"

"Of course. Not only that." Sabi glanced at the night sky. "You see the past of the stars, not their present."

"Not their present? What does that mean?" Dark was getting more confused.

"They're several light-years away, so it takes some time for their light to travel and be seen here. Some of them probably are dead at this point, but we still see them shine."

"Woah...! That's amazing."

"I know-" Suddenly, the legs of the telescope broke and the telescope fell. Dark gasped in surprise and turned back.

Sabi sighed and sweated. "Not again..." She started putting it all together again.

"Again?"

"Yeah," Sabi replied, "I am known to have very bad luck. I don't believe in things like that, but usually, some accidents happen to me and only me. It is strange. I'm a magnet on troubles, just like you are a magnet on dinosaurs! That's possibly why Juliet was so unlucky and almost got hit by that car."

"No. She was lucky enough to get out without getting hurt," Dark told her.

Sabi looked at her, frowning. "She's alright only thanks to you and Max. I'm so thankful to you."

Dark only yawned.

Sabi walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "You should go to sleep."

Dark blushed and started shaking. "I... I can't... I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Her behavior made Sabi concerned.

"Every time I close my eyes, I'm back at the Akuno...I don't want to wake up and find myself back there. I'm scared of that..."

"You won't, I promise. I'll be by your side, okay?"

Dark nodded slowly. "Then let's go."

They headed back in. Dark laid in the bed, still shaking a little. Sabi took her hand, smiled and sat on the bed. Star laid beside Dark.

"It's going to be okay, Dark."

"Lo Siento, for bothering you and your family..."

"Lo Siento? You're Spanish?"

"I don't know... I don't remember. My memories are fuzzy... I have just a few of them. I remember someone...hurting me..."

"Somebody from the Akuno?" Sabi wondered.

"No... I'm not sure who they are..."

"So, you don't remember your own family?"

Dark shook her head. "I can't even recall most of my memories from the Akuno... I might have...a brother. That's all..."

"We'll find your family. You should sleep now. I'll stay here with you."

Dark closed her eyes. Sabi held her hand, waiting for her to fall asleep.

When she was sure Dark was asleep, Sabi headed to the kitchen. Star stayed with Dark.

Sabi noticed an opened door from her father's office and a turned-on computer. She walked in and looked at the monitor. There was a name 'Damita Makuto' and some information. She froze in place when she read it. It was a report of an old case her father tried to solve several years ago.

According to the report, half Spanish Damita and her older brother Cruz ran away from home at ages 5 and 7. Lieutenant Kon was lead of the search for them, however, he managed to figure out something much worse. The children used to have an older sister, about 15 years older. She also went missing. She and Damita were both abused and tortured by their own parents...?!

Why would anyone do that?

How can be someone so cruel?

It was creepy how it all fit things she knew about Dark. Most of her life living without her family, possibly having a brother.

The report also confirmed the source of Dark's fear of water, since drowning was being used as one of the 'punishments'. Once they were caught, the Makuto's confessed to everything except having anything to do with their children's disappearance. All of their children were presumed dead, despite their bodies have never been found.

"She has nowhere to go... How could they...? That's fucked up..." Sabi was disturbed, her body quivering. "That explains the older scars..."

She immediately headed back to her room, seeing Dark still sleeping.

She sighed, changed her clothes and went to sleep.

—

Ema woke up the next day in grim. Ellen was still sleeping next to her. Ema got carefully and quietly up. With slow steps, she walked into Michael's room; it was messy. Ema looked around. She picked up Michael's jacket, he wears it very often. She put it on, holding tightly on it.

"Miharu...Where are you...?"

She headed downstairs. She stopped on the stairs when she heard a female voice.

"Hey, Nora."

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Miharu gasped. Ema figured out she was surprised to see the woman who came. The teen recognized the voice of the visitor; it was Mrs. Komatsu.

"Can't I visit my big sister?"

"We haven't spoken for years. I thought I'd never see you again," Mrs. Miharu said.

"I can't be mad at you because of your poor life decisions forever, can I? Look, you know that news spread around Sanjo quickly," Mrs. Komatsu told her with slight grim in her voice, "Phoebus Kato and Michael were found dead at the lake."

"What...?" Nora Miharu breathed, "Michael...he's dead..." She fell to her knees. "Nora!"

Ema was shaking, tears filled her eyes. Her best friend was dead... She covered her mouth, her face was pale.

This couldn't be true...

She leaned on the wall, crying.

"...Miharu..."

She wished so much she spent more time with him; she would if she hasn't obeyed her father.

She remembered the last words he's ever told her. _"You don't need any jewels, you are a jewel."_

He loved her and she couldn't return his feelings while he was alive. She grabbed tightly on his jacket she was wearing.

She lost him...

Then a phone sounded. From what Ema could hear, Lucy answered it.

"Hello? No, this is her sister. I don't think she's able to speak right now... Yeah... we know...Thank you."

Ema didn't know what that meant.

"It's true," Lucy then said, "they called to let you know that it's true... I'm so sorry, Nora."

—

Meanwhile, Sabi and Star brought Dark to meet with her friends. They met up in the park.

Dengyo, Shadow and Kenji were waiting for them. When the blue-haired boy's golden eyes fell on Dark, he gasped and blushed. "It's her!" he screamed.

Dark grabbed Sabi's arm, scared. "Stay calm, that's just Kenji; he gets easily excited."

The boy rushed to them. He looked closely at Dark's face.

"Um... D-did I do something wrong?" Dark wondered.

Kenji sighed happily, his smile widened. "You're so cute!" Dark blushed and frowned. "Am I...?"

"Of course!" He took her hand and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm Kenji Shinori, your future husband. What is your name, beauty?"

Dark's face turned redder, she was unable to speak. She wanted to push him away, but she didn't mean to be rude.

Sabi smacked Kenji's head. "Quit it, Ken!"

He let go off Dark, whimpering in slight pain, lowering on his knees. "Ow...! Sabi..."

"Why did you do that?!" Dark gasped. She hugged Kenji gently. "Are you okay...?"

Kenji grinned, facing her flat chest. "Yes~"

"Ken!" Sabi snapped at him. She got him by the shirt and pulled him away from Dark. He pouted and looked back at Dark. "I've been thinking about you since the moment I saw you! I've been watching the video I've recorded of you every day, hoping to meet you!"

"You what...?"

"Alright, Kenji, that's enough," Dengyo told him, walking over to them, "it's nice to see you again, Damita."

Dark shook a little and took Sabi's arm. "Who are you...?"

"You don't remember me?" Dengyo wondered.

"Dengyo, Dark has amnesia surrounding parts of her past," Sabi explained.

Dengyo frowned, wrapping his finger around his chin. "It is possible her mind suppresses bad memories. She's been through horrible pain there and not only there."

"That's what I was thinking," the brunette told him, "where is Andy anyway?"

"You don't know?" Kenji looked up at her. "His father is rumored to be dead."

Sabi's dark eyes widened. "Dark, can you stay here with Dengyo and Kenji?"

"Why...?" Dark murmured.

"I have to go see Andy. I'll be right back."

She nodded slowly.

Sabi and Star headed away.

Dark watched them go, holding her hands together on her chest. Shadow nuzzled her leg. She looked down at him and knelt. "Hi there..."

—

Back in Luminary, Ema finally showed herself to Lucy, who was trying to clam her sister down.

"I understand your concern, Wada, but you shouldn't have run away from home; your parents must be worried," Lucy told the teen.

"I doubt that..." Ema growled with her arms folded. It was strange to see her like that; everything her father made her into was gone. She was wearing Michael's dark greenish jacket. Her wavy dark brown hair was down, some even covering her eye to mimic Michael's hairstyle. "My father didn't care when I asked him to send someone to find Miharu. He closed the door in my face."

"That's where you're wrong," Lucy corrected her, "the mayor called up the best people just to find him."

"He what...?" Ema couldn't help but smile at least a little.

"Your father might have a weird way of showing it but he loves you."

"Very weird way..."

Nora then spoke up. "I should call Jeff and tell him..."

"That's gonna be an issue..." Lucy bit her lip. "Wendy told me that Jeff's currently fleeing from the law."

Her sister looked at her with tears. "What has he done...?"

"He hit children with a car; they all survived, but since he fleed he's made it worse for himself."

Nora cried more. "I can't believe that I've lost both of my boys..."

"Hey, don't cry. You still have your grandson and me. I'll call Wendy to come here with Gerard, she's watching over Kyra right now."

"Thanks..."

Soon, Ellen finally woke up and wandered outside. Ema noticed her and followed her. "Ellen, come back."

The Ampelosaurus walked through a small hole in the fence to the neighbors. Ema climbed over the fence and picked her partner up.

"A sneaky pet, I see," Ema heard a voice. She looked up to see a very young black-haired man with orange goggles on his head. She's never seen him.

 _But we have... In the previous chapter..._

"Yes, I'm sorry."

He kept his eyes on Ellen only. "An Ampelosaurs..." he murmured.

Ema's alarm rang. _"He recognizes it... Great, I'm suspicious now. I'm out of here."_

She slowly backed away. "I'll make sure she doesn't run off again." She quickly left.

He stood there for a while. "So, the cards got new owners..."

Ema walked back into the house.

Lucy glanced at her. "You should go back home. I'll give you a lift in the evening."

"I don't seem to have another choice... Then yes, I guess."

—

Sabi went into Andy's backyard to see her friend lighting up firecrackers and letting them explode not too far from him. Aaron was watching him worriedly.

"Andy?" Sabi walked over to him.

"Leave me alone," he growled rather hatefully. It wasn't like him to act so harshly.

"I've heard about what happened. I'm sorry..."

"Get out of here."

"Don't expect me to leave you to suffer by yourself." Sabi knelt beside Andy, touching his shoulder. "It's going to be okay-"

"Leave me alone!" he snapped at her and pushed her away. She fell to the ground. Star growled angrily and charged at Andy. Aaron headbutted her away, protecting his partner.

"Star, don't attack," Sabi said.

"I get that you feel need to help people, but don't. I just need to be alone." Andy sighed. "He knew it would happen; he left me a crystal with a note..."

"Fine, suit yourself. Why did I even bother to care about you?" Sabi asked herself, getting up, "let's go, Star."

—

It was already dark outside; Sabi, Star, and Dark were in their room, all alone in the house. Sabina's parents were investigating and her little sister had a sleepover at her friend.

"So, he's aggressive?" Dark asked.

"No wonder... People don't act like themselves when they're hurt. They'd probably hurt their loved ones at that state," Sabi sighed.

"So...Parents would hurt their own child...?" Dark murmured. Sabi looked at her, her alarm on. "What are you talking about?

"I was thinking about what you and your friend said earlier...about suppressing bad memories. Why wouldn't I remember my family if they were good people?" Dark wondered.

"Dark..."

"They...They didn't love me, did they?"

"You can't know that-"

"I asked Dengyo about the Akuno... When I asked him about how I got there, he refused to answer."

"That doesn't mean anything-"

"Nobody loves me, nobody appreciates me... I'm just a punching bag to everyone..." Dark started crying and ran away.

"Dark!"

Just like how it happened in the hospital the other day.

Sabi and Star ran right after her. "Do you have any idea where would she go, Star?" They were looking around for several minutes. Then they heard quiet sobbing. It was Dark. She was sitting on a bench.

"Dark?" Sabi sat down next to her. As soon as she did a lightbulb in the nearest lamp broke, making it darker around.

Dark screamed in surprise and snuggled into Sabi. She was shaking. "No...not the dark...not the darkness..."

 _"She's afraid of the dark? That's an irony right there..."_ Sabi held her gently. "Dark, don't cry."

"I've listened to it all my life, 'nobody loves you, nobody ever will, you're nothing...' They're right..."

Sabi smiled, knowing the perfect distraction from Dark's gloomy thoughts, and looked up at the night sky. "Look at the stars. No matter who we are or where we are, we all have the same sky above us. Dark, even though we're all different we have a lot in common. We make mistakes and especially we have the possibility to choose our destiny."

"You maybe do...But I don't..." Dark sobbed.

"That's not true. You had a choice to go with me or stay alone," Sabi reminded her and hugged her. "You have nothing to fear. I won't let anything happen to you."

Star roared softly, agreeing.

Dark smiled weakly. "Star says the same. Huh-?" Then her eyes widened and she stood up, looking around.

"Dark? Is something wrong?"

"Can't you hear that? A dinosaur is calling for help..."

"A dinosaur?" Sabi then heard that, a dinosaur roar. "Let's go."

They rushed to the source of the roar.

"A Shantungosaurus?" Dark said when they could see the dinosaur.

"Alright then. Shine, Star!" Sabi summoned her dinosaur to fight. Someone else who was already at the place did the same, summoning an Ampelosaurus. They both attacked the dino. Sabi recognized that someone.

"Ema? Is that you? You look different..."

"Sabina? You too, you cut your hair?" they asked each other; it's been a while since they've met for the last time.

"Wait, you have a dinosaur too?" Ema wondered.

"I guess."

"And who's that?" Ema pointed at Dark.

"That's Dark. Dark, Ema Wada, mayor's daughter, and my former classmate."

"Nice to-" Their conversation was interrupted by a new dinosaur roar. An Allosaurus entered the battlefield. A black-haired boy in a green shirt was standing behind it, holding three different colored crystals.

"It seemed too easy," Ema said.

"Mayfly!" The boy commanded, putting an orange card to his bracelet. The Allosaurus raced towards Star, disappearing for a moment. Then he surrounded the Dilophosaurus, running around her and attacking her from all sides. Star panted heavily, but she was still standing.

"Star! It's so fast. Ema, Star and I will get that guy and his dinosaur; you get the other," Sabi decided.

Ema nodded. "Ellen, make sure that Shantungosaurus doesn't make damage to the city!" The Ampelosaurus rammed into its opponent.

"Alright, Star-"

"No, stop!" Dark yelled, "don't hurt those dinosaurs..."

Sabi looked back at her. "Dark, we don't have a choice."

"But you told me that everyone has a choice. Please, don't hurt your friends."

"A dinosaur on a loose can destroy a city," Sabi tried to explain, however, Dark didn't listen. She ran between the battling dinosaurs.

"Stop fighting, please."

"Damita?" the boy recognized her, "River, don't attack." He didn't need to say that, the Allosaurus immediately stopped. "Damita..."

"Who are you?"

"You don't remember me...?" The boy hardened his glare. "My name is Cruz."

"Cruz...?" Sabi's eyes widened, having flashbacks to when she first heard that name. He is Dark's brother and she has no idea about it. Then Sabina noticed it, the symbol of the Akuno on his chest.

"I am a servant of the Akuno," he continued.

"So, you're with that guy who attacked my classmate," Ema realized.

Cruz nodded. "Unfortunately. Don't expect me to be the same as them. Drack and Mary are cruel, not to mention all the lives they've taken away." He touched his cross necklace.

"Lives?" It caught Ema's attention. "What lives?" It was possibly a stretch, but she needed to be sure; that thought didn't leave her mind.

"Many, but the most recent ones are Pheobus Kato."

"Andy's father?" Sabi whispered.

"And Michael Miharu."

Ema swallowed hardly, lowering her head; a shadow fell into her eyes. She clenched her fists. "You've murdered him... You murdered my best friend." She was crying.

"It wasn't me. I'd never sin like that," Cruz told her.

"I...I don't give a damn. I'll make you pay! Ellen!" Ema swiped her move card across her stone. A vortex made out of water surrounded the Allosaurus and the Akuno member.

"What-"

The vortex spun them and then dropped them. Cruz dropped all three crystals he held. He was bleeding a little.

Ema walked over to him and grabbed the blue crystal, looking at it. Her eyes suddenly widened; there wasn't just her reflection, but also Michael's.

 _How...?_

This made her cry even more.

The Shantungosaurus saw its chance to escape the battle. River the Allosaurus stood up and went after it, however, Ema didn't allow the dinosaurs to leave.

Not sure how she did that, the crystal started to glow. Her anger and sadness made her ignore that and she swiped the move card again; this time it was much bigger and strong.

Everyone just stared as the attack surrounded the Allosaurus and the Shantungosaurus.

Dark rushed to them, crying. "NO! STOP!" Sabi ran after her and wrapped her arms around her, keeping her at one place. "It's too dangerous, Dark."

"But..."

Once the attack stopped, both dinosaurs turned into cards. Cruz got up to pick up River's card, but he didn't even attempt to take the Shantungosaurus or the other crystals. "Take everything, but if anyone asks, say that you almost killed me to get them," he told them before disappearing in smoke.

Ema called Ellen back and started walking away.

Sabi had no idea what to tell her as she had no idea what was going on.

She let go of Dark and picked up the rest. If her thoughts are right, the golden crystal should be hers and the purple one... She had an idea. She looked closely at her crystal. Just like with Ema, she saw herself, but on the other side was someone else. She frowned when she recognized Cruz in that someone.

What's that supposed to mean?

Sabi took Dark back home like none of this ever happened. And they went to sleep.

—

 _Dark was in a strange room full of technology she's never seen before. A fire was all around her. She was holding a glass with a green liquid inside tightly._

 _Once Drack and the other boy were gone, she headed to the dying couple. They both were breathing heavily. She carefully poured drips of the liquid into their wounds; they were slowly healing._

 _"Please, wake up..." Dark begged quietly._

 _The couple slowly got to their senses, asking immediately where is their son. She didn't have the right words to reply. "He is alive and now you are too... We need to get out of here."_

 _She led them through a portal. "Your son is here, but you shouldn't look for him."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"Because everyone now thinks you are dead. If they find out you aren't they'd try to kill you again and this time they won't fail. Hide in a town called Luminary; it's the closest town to Sanjo. Hide there to survive, please."_

—

Dark woke up in Sabi's room with a gasp. "I have to go see Rex!"


	15. Putting Out The Fire

A part of the group was hanging out in the D-lab, excluding Kyra, who still didn't feel okay, and Zoe and Sue, who were somewhere together.

Justin was working on something on his laptop when he noticed someone at the entrance door of the lab. He double-clicked the window with the camera video to see two girls and a dinosaur, a brunette, and a smaller black-haired girl. "Somebody is outside."

Max looked over his shoulder. "Sabi and Dark? Let them in." Justin nodded and pressed the enter key. The laptop was connected to the D-lab's main computer, so he could control stuff in the lab.

Outside, the door opened and Sabi walked with the rest inside. They didn't know where exactly to go since they've never been there. Star smelled other dinos and led the way. Once they got to a door, it opened and they walked in the main room where the others were.

"Good morning," Sabi said, looking around, "Woah, this place is huge."

"It is amazing!" Dark gasped. Chomp, Ace, Tashi, Karo, Blitz and the Compy Squad rushed to her, jumping at her and happily wagging their tails. "Hi, guys." Dark knelt down and gave each of them a pat on the head.

"It is nice when somebody finally appreciates it here," Reese said monotonously.

"Hey, it's great to see you again," Max told the girls. Justin looked back to the door. "So, these are the two you mentioned?" he asked and looked up at Max who nodded. "Both Sabi and Dark helped us a lot!" Max grinned and rubbed the back of his head with his left, unbroken hand.

"I'd say that's an overstatement," Sabi tried to correct him, "I was the one who caused that dino's card to activate in the first place. But I'm not here to talk you out of your beliefs. We're here because Dark wanted to talk to Rex."

The blondie looked at her. "Talk to me? About what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "I'm not sure," Sabi replied and glanced at Dark, who was paying attention to the chibies, "she woke me up and said it's urgent. I think she remembered something from the Akuno. Hey, Dark?"

"Huh?" The small girl straightened up.

"What was it you wanted?"

"Um..." Dark scratched her cheek, her eyes narrowing at Rex. "I forgot..."

"What?!" everyone gasped in shock. Max fell to the floor, getting immediately got back up.

Rex smiled. "It's okay, Dam-...Dark."

"I just can't recall that memory... Lo Siento." "I said it's okay. You don't need to worry about that; you'll tell me once you remember."

"It seems that your memory isn't getting any better," Sabi murmured.

"Maybe because it's from the Akuno..." Dark suggested.

Sabi pulled Dark's pouch out of her pocket. "Anyway, we brought some dinosaur cards Dark had on her."

"Dinosaur cards?!"

Dark nodded. "I think I stole them from the Akuno...I know stealing is bad, but those dinosaurs were calling for help."

"Dark..." Sabi shook her head. "I looked through the cards. There is always at least one for seven separate elements, fire, grass, earth, lightning, wind, water, and rainbow...? I'm not sure how to call it. And there are move cards that have no symbol at all, like my Atomic Bomb move. There are no cards that would fit other stones though."

"Say what?" Cole growled, "no fair! I want my move card."

"How come there aren't more cards for the new stones?" Max wondered.

"Because the new stones and cards were created by the Akuno," Rex explained, "I'm not sure how, but they created them to have their weapon against us. Thankfully it didn't go as planned."

Sabi gave the pouch to Max. "I kept a few normal move cards if that's okay."

"I don't think that is a problem," Dr. Taylor said, "you and Andy are going to need more powerful attacks."

Sabi frowned. "I doubt Andy's going to help for some time now..."

Justin and Alice lowered their heads. "Right, he does not seem to be up to anything right now," Justin exclaimed.

"Hey, Sabi, have you thought of joining us?" Max asked, "helping dinosaurs traveling the world, fighting the Akuno."

"I'm already doing that." Sabina shook her head. "Except for traveling the world. But to tell you the truth, I'm not too interested in that. Star and I have been taking care of dinosaurs here in Sanjo, which there's been enough of them." She specifically avoided saying 'fight'; Dark has a strong hatred towards that word, that's why she became pale when Max mentioned it. Sabi understands why she dislikes the word.

Dark's ideology is to solve conflicts peacefully. She has the highest empathy Sabi's ever seen. Dark feels the pain of the others and can't stand it; she tries to understand them. Especially the dinosaurs...

"You can't do that by yourself," Dr. Taylor told her, "I wasn't sure about asking you and Andy for help back then even after I saw what you're capable of."

"I won't be alone," Sabi reassured him, "my classmate, Dengyo Shiraki, has his dinosaur and he wouldn't leave me alone. Plus Ema Wada and Nicole Saka got their cards too."

"Wada and Saka?" Cole wondered.

"Of course, we have seen Wada use an Ampelosaurus back in the park," Justin reminded the tallboy.

"Oh, yeah..." Cole remembered, scratching his cheek.

"And Niki has a Stegosaurus," Max said, "after what happened in the park, I completely forgot to tell you, guys."

"Anyway, I think it'd be handy if you had your own communicator, Sabina," Reese spoke up.

"Communicator?"

"A device used for easier communication, storing the cards, summoning dinosaurs and locating them."

"I guess I can't deny that," Sabi chuckled.

"All right then." Reese nodded. "Justin, do you think you're able to put one communicator together?"

"Moment, me? Why me?" the shortest person in the room wondered.

"Because when Zoe comes here I'll need to leave with her, Max, Rex, and Dr. Taylor. I need you and Alice to take care of the lab while we're gone."

"Hey, why them?!" Cole got offended by being ignored.

"I don't know Sabina and Dark long enough to completely trust them. I'm giving Justin and Alice all responsibility for the D-lab," Reese told him.

"But what about me?!" Cole snapped. Reese ignored him, avoiding arguing with him.

—

Zoe, Paris, Sue, and Annie were walking through the park talking. Zoe was telling her friend about her adventures with the D-team that started three years ago.

Sue was pretty invested in it, laughing at Zoe's celebrity crushes, wishes to be a princess or her attempts to keep a guy away from Reese and then trying to get them together. She recognized her best friend in those actions. But what especially caught her attention was a certain English boy that fancied Zoe.

"So, that Jim guy infatuated with you? Hell, he must have some balls to try to charm you. Did you seriously beat him up when he tried to kiss you?"

"Yeah," Zoe chuckled nervously, scratching her cheek, "a little..."

"Ooh~! I've taught you good, girl. If any guy attempted to give any smooches to me, I'd punch all his teeth out!" A smug formed on Sue. "Might be different with a girl though..."

"But in the end, I let him kiss me on the cheek," Zoe admitted.

"You what?" Sue was terrified by that thought. "You can't be serious!"

"Is there a problem with that?" Zoe blinked, confused.

"Ah, forget about it. At least he saw how great you are and let you know how he feels about you, unlike Max and Rex."

"What are you talking about?" She sweatdropped, smiling.

"Never mind~" Sue grinned.

"Just tell me," Zoe demanded, pouting.

"So, princess Zoe, huh?" the brunette changed the topic, laughing. Zoe couldn't help but laugh with her.

Unknown to them, somebody was watching them from the distance. They passed a girl with short dark brownish hair without even noticing her. She watched them go as her eyes filled with tears.

Her best friend ignored her; she didn't even acknowledge her existence. Amy was watching them walking away, her heart was breaking. There was such rock heavy weight on her chest. She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked back she saw the boy she met the other day; he's her only support now...

"Forget about them," he whispered to her ear gently.

She shivered. There is no way she could let her only friend, her only human friend, go just yet. That one person who cared about her and protected her can't be forgotten that easily.

 _"That's not true. You still have me,"_ she remembered Zoe's words. Amy held her own hand gently, remembering the warmth she felt when Zoe held it. How much it calmed her down and made her happy, the love in her smile.

It was all gone now...

—

Zoe and Sue headed to the D-lab with their partners. When they entered the main room they stopped as they saw Dark hugging Max tightly.

"The hell...?" Sue mouthed.

Zoe frowned and rolled her eyes. "Sorry for disturbing."

Max looked at her, blushing. "It's not what it looks like!"

Dark pulled away. "Lo Siento! No sabía cómo agradecer a Max por salvarme el otro día... (I didn't know how to thank Max for saving me the other day...)"

"Dark, you don't have to try explaining," Zoe told her, "even though I have no idea what you just said... We were just surprised to see you here."

"Really? I thought that you're jealous because you and Max seem to be a couple." Once Dark said those words she started the fire. Max and Zoe turned red and yelled: "We're not a couple!"

Dark squeaked, aghast, hiding behind Sabi who patted her head to comfort her.

"Guess I'm not the only one who ships Kid and Zoe," Cole chuckled.

"Ships?" Dark titled her head.

"Cole!" Max and Zoe growled.

"Oh, shut the hell up, rockstar!" Sue snapped, "don't you dare mention it again."

"What's wrong with that?" Cole wondered, "they'd fit together."

"You have no hell right to decide someone's relationship. Just shut the hell up!" Sue lowered her head, light reflected from her glasses, she curled her hands into fists. It seemed like a fire of wrath surrounded her. She quickly shot her head up, her eyes glowing red.

Cole gulped, backing away. Everyone else was scared of her.

"I CAN BURN YOU ALIVE, YOU KNOW?!" Sue looked at her dino, ready to command her. "ANNIE-"

Annie glanced away, umbrage.

Reese rolled her eyes and sighed. She stood up, grabbing Max, Rex, Zoe, and Dr. Taylor under her arms. Since her physical strength surpasses all of theirs it wasn't a problem for her. She's been working out her whole life, lifting all four was maybe a little difficult, but not impossible for her. Chomp, Ace, Paris, and Blitz followed them. "It's the best time to go."

"Go where?" Max asked her.

"You'll see. Dr. Taylor, could you please call Aki, Dr. Owen, and agent Shinori?"

"Sure!" Spike replied, grinning, "can you put me down now?"

"No." Reese headed outside, still carrying them.

—

Meanwhile, Kami was sitting on a couch in her room inside the Akuno. Her room was different from all the others; it was a pretty lovely place. The bed and the couch were new and light purple, more colorful than anything else in the base except for Mary herself. The walls had a light orange shade and were decorated with beautiful paintings. Zepar treated her the best out of everyone in the Akuno.

She heard a knock on the door and when she verbally answered Cruz entered the room.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked her.

"Not that good..." she murmured.

He walked over to the couch and sat down beside her.

"Kato was my friend..." Kami sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"He and Komatsu were close to me in my day-to-day life Zepar sent me to live. Now they're both gone. Everyone I loved is gone..." She clenched a small yellow projector in her hands.

"You at least had someone once. I've lost something I've never had," he told her, "I only had my sister. I'm grateful to you for taking us here. Thanks to that she survived and now she's safe."

Kami didn't listen to him and asked: "Do you know anything about Drack?"

"Not really," he replied, "he's gone fulfilling whatever his plan is."

"And Mary?"

"Still locked. She isn't looking good; she's pale and starving. Like Damita used to be. I managed to sneak her some food a while ago."

"Thank you for that." Kami smiled.

"No problemo, amigo."

—

Aki and Foster joined the group as they were walking through the woods.

"How many dinosaurs do you think are still out there?" Max asked.

"Who knows," Rex replied, "Dark saved some of them by stealing the cards. The Akuno still has most of them."

"Not really," Max told him. Everyone looked at him strangely. "When I first met Mary, Dark appeared with a similar pouch. Mary tried to take it, but I grabbed it as well; my hand glowed yellow and then the pouch tore apart, the cards inside flew in different directions."

"So, the cards got separated because of you?" Zoe frowned.

"I'd be more concerned about the glowing hand," Rex said, "what was that about?"

"It was the power of Max's crystal," Dr. Taylor told them. All three looked up at him. "Power of the crystal? You mean like what we saw with Mrs. Taylor and Reese?" Zoe wondered.

"But I don't have a crystal..." Max was confused.

"You actually do," his father told him, "the crystal is inside you."

"Huh?!" Max frowned, getting more confused.

"Geez, Max, I know you eat a lot but eating a crystal," Zoe joked. The others chuckled, making Max blush a little.

"The crystals can be stored inside objects and souls of the owners," Dr. Owen explained, "some other owners have their crystals inside their souls as well like Alice."

"I suppose the crystals are more protected when like that, but on the other hand, it seems like their power can be used unwillingly," Rex murmured thoughtfully, curling his finger around his chin, "if the crystals fit the elements of the stone plates some of their powers can be dangerous out of control."

"I'm suddenly scared of Sue just thinking about that," Max sighed.

"Are we there yet?" Zoe asked.

Reese who was in the lead stopped just a few steps later. "Yes, we are." The others stopped behind her.

The place was the same as any other in the forest, nobody could point out even a tiny difference. All the trees looked identical.

"Wait, what?"

The scientist pulled the right sleeves of her lab coat and shirt, pressing a button on a device on her wrist. Then a multicolored light shined on them and they were all lifted from the ground. The trio recognized it immediately, but couldn't believe it. At a certain height, they all turned into light and disappeared.

In the next moment, they were standing inside whatever was just a second ago above them.

The D-team realized what is going on and where they are. "Backland?!" they gasped at once.

"But how? Why?" Max was getting even more confused.

Rex somehow understood what was this all about.

And Zoe seemed not very happy about not knowing her sister kept this place.

A door opened and Sora Shinori entered the room. "You sure took your time," he said and then bowed, "the name's agent Sora Shinori. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Wasn't all the guardian stuff supposed to stay secret to keep you safe?" Rex asked the guardians.

"I'm a guardian too, ya know?" Sora grinned. "My sons are owners like you, kids. Plus it's my job to be present here when anyone sets afoot here."

"Why?" the kids wondered. Everything about the government was explained to them; they just accepted it, it wasn't the strangest thing they've heard lately.

"You still could have told us something sooner," Aki said, glaring at her husband. Spike sweatdropped.

Sora placed his hands on his hips. "How come all women have that same reproaching glare?"

"I wish I had someone to glare at me like that," Dr. Owen murmured.

"Shinori..." Max scratched his cheek, remembering he's heard that name before. "Wait a sec, that Kenji guy with the blue hair!"

"Yup! That's my son," Sora confirmed, "he fanboyed over meeting you. Hey, I-"

"Alright, that's enough. Shinori, there's no time to waste," Reese spoke up.

"I was just about to ask the kid for an autograph Kenji wants," Sora objected.

"Shinori, have you prepared everything?"

"Yeah... Follow me..." He sighed sadly. "I've tried my best to find stuff that would fit the right elements, but I hope they'll help." Sora led them to the next bigger room; there were three tables inline with different items on them, a flower pot with a yellow flower inside, a turned-on fan, two cables with sparks coming between them.

"So, what are we supposed to do here?" Rex wondered.

"Practice your crystal control," Reese replied, holding up her notes.

"Crystal control?"

"Yes. The crystals have different powers by themselves; yours, the elemental ones, can expand, move at will or decrease their element, but cannot create it without a source. I think it might be possible to use the crystal to increase the power of the move cards."

"That's so cool!" the kids said.

Their happiness didn't last long as Reese continued, "however, you're going to need some practice before it'd be safe to actually use your crystals in a battle." Then she noticed that little missing detail. She looked at Sora. "Agent Shinori, what about the safety measurements?"

"Oh, come on, you need those too?" He frowned. She nodded firmly. He went to get other stuff.

"Safety? You don't trust us?" Zoe pouted.

"Not even a single bit." Reese readjusted her glasses. "And I refuse to go through that giant plant scenario again."

Sora soon came back with a fire extinguisher and gardening sheers.

"Aki, Shinori, make sure to put out the elements just in case and we'll take care of them if they get out of control." Reese then pulled green and light blue crystals out of her coat and laid them on the tables.

Zoe and Rex picked them up.

"For a start, I want you to try to expand your respective elements using your crystals," Reese told them, "just focus on what you want to do."

The teens nodded reached their left hands in front of them, Rex and Zoe were holding their crystals.

—

Meanwhile, a black-haired princess walked onto the balcony of the Indian palace, looking at a gate and a town behind it. It was early morning there, two hours less than in Japan to be exact.

The princess just woke up; she sighed and stretched, inhaling the fresh morning air. Then she turned around to head back into her room; it wasn't as empty as it used to be three years ago. She managed to get her life lighter on rules and is now allowed to have her room decorated. It was filled with dinosaurs and she even had her own computer to be in touch with her friends. She wished so much to see them again.

Once she set one foot back in the room, the wind blew and in the next moment, she heard a roar. She quickly looked back, seeing a dinosaur looking confusedly around. She's seen it already in books and recognized it. "Gojirasaurus?!"

—

Back in Japan, the D-team was in their new 'training' room, trying to awake power they hold. All three faces were focused, locked on their respective objects of interest.

Zoe, who was standing on the left, was the only one whose guardian wasn't by her side nor helping her since Reese was keeping her eyes on the tables and making notes. Her little sister was desperately trying to move even a single leaf of the sunflower.

Max, who was standing on the right, was the only one not holding a crystal. He was trying to make the two cables spark more like when he fought against Mary, but he couldn't focus properly.

The one who, despite being concentrated, was lost in thoughts of his mistake was Rex. His hand was steady, reaching to the fan, attempting to make the wind created by it stronger. He hardened his glare, not moving other muscles. The crystal started to glow; the wind blew more and more. He did it.

"Hey, no fair," Max and Zoe complained.

Rex didn't seem to notice, he was too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge what was happening. It was possibly the place they were at that awoke those thoughts and memories that hurt him so much. The wind was strong enough to knock the pot with the sunflower and the cables on the floor.

The wind was creating a small cyclone. Everyone else covered their faces as the wind blew in their eyes. Rex still hasn't reacted.

"Rex!"

The blonde's eyes widened as he realized what he's doing. Dr. Owen grabbed the crystal, calming the wind.

Rex lowered his head. "Sorry... I... got distracted..." "It's okay, you did a great job," his father told him, smiling. Rex smiled back.

Then they heard a beeping sound from the communicators. Rex pulled his light blue communicator Reese made for him yesterday from his pocket. A map of Asia appeared on the display.

"We gotta go." Max and Zoe nodded. They all headed to the D-lab.

—

"Ema actually helped us yesterday," Sabi said.

"Oh, so, that's why she was gone," Sue understood, "the great mayor Wada's daughter got the hell grounded for that crap."

Then the door opened and everyone who's been on board of the Backland, including Sora, entered the room.

"Has anyone gone yet?" Max asked immediately.

"Not yet. Four eyes kept us waiting for you," Cole replied.

Justin turned away from making Sabina's communicator. "I assumed you three would like to go together again, so we all stayed here. The dinosaur has appeared in India near the Ganges river."

"The Ganges?!" the trio gasped, recognizing the name of the place. They smiled at each other.

"Do you know what that means?" Max grinned. "Sure," Rex nodded, "it's been a while."

Chomp ran to the table where all the cards Dark saved were placed. Nobody seemed to stop him or notice him. He grabbed one specific card in his mouth and walked back to his partner.

Zoe looked at Sue. "Sue, are you going with us? I'm sure you'll _love_ it!"

"If you insist, girl. Guess I have no choice."

"Alright, let's go!" Max headed on the platform as Zoe and Sue followed him with their dinosaurs.

Rex was the only one who stayed behind. After their experience with Mary's wrath and Fire Scorcher, he thought one additional person wouldn't hurt. "Alice, is it too much to ask you to join us?" Rex wondered. The brunette blushed, pointing at herself, making sure he really asks her. He nodded with a slight smile.

She went on the platform with Tashi in her jacket and Rex walked after her.

"Hey! And why nobody asks me?!" Cole snapped.

Sue shrugged, smirking. "You aren't needed, rockstar. This just shows that I'm better than you."

"Hey!"

"We better go..." Max sighed. He then looked down as Chomp was jumping at him. He noticed a card in Triceratops' mouth and took. He put it in his communicator. They pressed a button on their communicators and teleported away.

—

The group appeared in the garden of a palace.

"This place is giving me goosebumps," Zoe murmured, trembling a little. Max and Rex laughed.

Suddenly someone rushed to them and hugged the boys. They glared confusedly.

"I missed you guys so much," the girl said.

"Meena?" Max smiled, recognizing her.

She nodded and then hugged Zoe. "Meena! I missed you too." Zoe hugged her back.

Sue frowned, gritting her teeth. She pushed Meena slightly away. "Hey, back off! Who the hell even are you?"

"Sue, calm down. It's okay. This is princess Meena, our friend," Zoe tried to hold her back, waving her hands, standing between them.

"Wait, she's that chick you switched places with? HOW?!" Sue glared at her best friend, her eyes wide open. "You look completely different. She has darker skin and hair and brown eyes. How the hell has nobody noticed that? Even her chest is smaller; I bet she even managed to button up your vest, girl."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not, so I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that," Zoe mumbled.

Meena seemed confused.

"She's always like to everyone, it isn't personal," Max reassured her. Meena chuckled.

Zoe turned to her "Yeah, she is a little..." Sue raised her eyebrows waiting for her to finish. "She is just Sue."

"Nice to meet you, Sue." Meena reached her hand to Sue, but the brunette folded her arms and glanced away. "Yeah, whatever."

"Okay..." The princess looked at the other brunette. Alice stepped back. "That's Alice," Rex said, "she's quiet most of the time." Alice nodded and waved at Meena bashfully, Tashi in her jacket roared softly.

"Can we just get going?" Sue growled, "a dino is on a loose here."

"Right, I've seen the Gojirasaurus run into the town. We must find it before it hurts someone," Meena agreed, worrying about her people.

"Let's split up," Sue suggested.

"I don't think that's the best idea," Rex objected.

"And I don't give a damn." Sue showed them her back and headed away.

"Wait for me!" Zoe, Paris, and Annie ran after her.

"Guess we split up..." Rex sighed.

Meena then felt something nuzzling her leg, she looked down to see Chomp. She knelt down, cuddling him. "Hi, Chomp! It's nice to see you again."

"I'll go with Meena," Max said, "call us if you find anything." Rex nodded.

—

Let's first visit Max, Chomp and Meena's search.

"I'm glad you guys got together again after everything you've been through," Meena said honestly, carrying Chomp in her arms. She's well informed since Max has chatted with her ever since they last met as we already know.

"Me too. This is actually our first mission after such a long time. I thought it would be just the three of us, but Zoe decided to ask Sue to tag along."

"Why?"

"Sue is her best friend. Zoe and her family are actually the only ones Sue isn't aggressive towards," Max explained, "I don't know why. But I'm sure Sue isn't a bad person."

"How do you know?"

"Nobody is born evil, they just have different goals and motivations. I knew people who only wanted to go home, but we didn't allow them because we did what seemed good in our eyes. Don't worry about her."

"I won't. What happened to your right arm?"

"A car accident. I saved one girl."

"You've always been a hero. Do you know how is the Deltadromeus doing?" Meena wondered.

"Funny that you mentioned it," Max chuckled and took a card out of his communicator. He gave it to her.

"I haven't thanked him for saving me back then."

"You can thank him when we run into Rex because his stone can summon him."

She nodded.

"I have to thank you for your support. If it wasn't for you, I'd possibly lose all the hope."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help a friend." They smiled at each other.

"You've once mentioned that your brother is famous," Meena remembered.

"I guess. Well, the band he used to be part of chose him and his former girlfriend in a talent show to go on a tour with them and record an album. They're mostly famous because they're so young."

"I must say, your brother doesn't look bad."

Max rolled his eyes. "Another one of those crazy fangirls," he chuckled. She chuckled with him. "Maybe." Then she hummed one of the band's songs. He recognized it and hummed with her.

As the two bound together we move on to Zoe and Sue.

The brunette was still upset.

"Sue? What's the big idea?" Zoe wondered. Sue glanced at her. "The hell you mean?"

"Why did you act like that towards Meena? She isn't as bad as you might think."

"Yeah, yeah. She's amazing, so much like you. You two _sure_ are soulmates," Sue said sarcastically.

"Sue, what is wrong?!" Zoe grabbed her shoulder.

"Nothing!"

"Sue!" Zoe snapped.

Sue glanced away. "I was jealous, okay? That's all."

"Jealous?"

"After all the stuff you told me in the morning, I can't stop thinking about that. You and that chick get along well, too well. Maybe more than with me...Girl, you're my best friend, my only friend. And I don't want to lose you to her."

"Sue..."

"Forget about that! Let's find that dino so we can get the hell out of here." Annie only growled at her partner.

Zoe watched her friend walk away, looking at her back. "What is wrong with her?" Paris looked up at her.

Moving to Rex and Alice, the two were silent for a while now, walking along to coast.

Rex sighed, still thinking about what happened on the Backland.

"Everything okay?" Alice asked him quietly.

"I'm not sure. I thought it'll be better when I tell them, but it still feels bad..."

"That pain will _never_ go away," Alice told him, "it slowly consumes you from inside. I know how you feel... You need to learn to live with that."

"I don't think I can... I can't forget. It's still in the back of my mind, coming back every minute."

"You shouldn't forget. It's your last memory of them and should never be forgotten even if it hurts."

"Yeah." Rex stopped. Ace looked up at him worriedly. "I just can't unsee the blame in everyone's eyes."

Alice looked at him. "There's only one person that has a right to blame and whose forgiveness matters and that's you."

"Have you forgiven yourself?" Rex wondered.

Alice shook her head. "It takes some time..."

"I guess you're right."

Alice nodded. There was still something she meant to ask him, but she knew it would hurt him. _"Did you actually see them die?"_ she thought. Knowing how the Akuno likes to trick people, it crossed her mind very often. However, she refused to give him false hope by her not too plausible assumptions.

Suddenly, an Allosaurus appeared in front of them. Alice gasped and backed away. Rex recognized the dino. "River? That must mean-"

"Exactly." A black-haired boy walked from behind the dinosaur towards them.

"Cruz... So, she sent you this time."

"I am sorry, amigo, but I have my orders," Cruz said.

"You've never been the one to follow orders."

"Now that you left, Mary is in prison and Drack is working on his secret plan, it's my turn. Enough talking now. She can see us." Cruz pointed at a pin on the collar of his shirt. "But she can't hear us."

"I see..." Rex nodded. "Let's give her the show she wants then." He turned Ace into a card and summoned him into the battle. "Dino-slash! Carnotaurus, blow him away!"

The other two groups looked around as the battlefield appeared and tried to head towards its source, their dinosaurs led the way. They weren't the only ones who did. The Gojirasaurus excitedly rushed to the battle as he wished to fight so much.

"Alice, you and Tashi stay back," Rex said, standing in front of her.

"But-"

"I need you to trust me."

"Always." She nodded.

"Ace, let's go!"

The Carnotaurus charged at the Allosaurus, but before they could clash a Gojirasaurus attacked them both, later followed by the arrival of the other two groups.

"There it is! Wait, where did an Allosaurus come from?" Max wondered.

"I think I know." Zoe pointed at Cruz, noticing the Akuno symbol on his chest.

"The Akuno! Alright, let's join Chomp." Max was about to call out his partner when Sue pushed him away. "Hey!"

"Sorry, hero, but I'm stealing the show. Dino-slash! Burn them, Daspletosaurus!"

Annie appeared, ready to fight.

"Now, Annie, kick the crap out of them so we can get the hell out of here!" The Daspletosaurus only growled.

"Sue, both Gojirasaurus and Allosaurus are very fast. I don't think a Daspletosaurus is fast enough to even hit them," Meena tried to tell the brunette, however, the only answer to that was an insult and angry glare.

"I don't give a shit about what you think, princess!" Sue snapped, "I'll deal with them myself." She pressed a button on her communicator and a move card she took from the pack in the D-lab came out of it. She swiped the card.

"Fire Cannon!"

Annie's mouth filled with fire and she turned to Sue, Zoe, and Meena.

"Annie? What the hell?"

The Daspletosaurus growled at them. The others didn't notice what was going on since they were far away from them and focused on the fight.

Then Annie shot the fireball at the girls. They gasped. The first one to react to that was Sue; she pushed Zoe away.

As the pink-haired fell to the ground the fireball hit the ground in front of Sue and Meena. The impact caused them to fall into the river.

"SUE! MEENA!" Zoe screamed. The others looked back. Their eyes widened. "MEENA!"

The fireball was immediately followed by another one; it made the water wild and the flow carried the girls away.

"NO!" Zoe got up and tried to get to her friends, but they were nowhere to find. "Sue!"

Meanwhile, Annie calmed down and walked away.

"This is bad," Max murmured.

"Right." Rex nodded. "Make sure Annie doesn't attack anyone else. Alice and I will take care of things here."

Alice summoned Tashi whose speed was comparable with River and the Gojirasaurus'.

"I'm on it." Max moved away, but before he followed Annie he headed to Zoe.

"What now...?" she whispered, staring at the water, trembling. He's only seen her so defeated rarely, but every time it shakes him. He couldn't just watch

"So, are you going to just stand here?" he asked her a bit angrily, frustrated by her behavior, scared that she'd turn back into the despair she was just pulled out of.

She shot her head up.

"Neither Sue or Meena would leave you in trouble. Don't just give up like that."

"Who said I'm going to give up?" Zoe asked him, "lure Annie back here." She grabbed her communicator and tried to contact Sue.

Max smiled and went after the Daspletosaurus.

—

The flow and waves created by the fireball carried her for some time. Sue managed to grab a wharf and crawled up on it. She coughed out water as she was on her hands and knees.

"Damn it..."

She dropped her communicator. "S...Sue...Can you...me...?" Zoe's voice sounded from it, interrupted by a bunch of static.

"Girl!" Sue yelled, picked up the communicator. "Girl! Can you hear me?! Girl!"

—

A smile formed on Zoe's face she heard her friend's voice. "Yes! Are you okay? Is Meena with you?" However, to her surprise, she didn't get an answer because her voice wasn't heard by Sue.

—

Soon, nothing was coming out of the communicator, not even the static. It must've gotten damaged by the water; the speakers didn't work. But unknown to her, the microphone still worked.

Then she heard whining in the river. She looked, but couldn't see since her glasses were covered by drops of water. She still figured out who that could be. Despising her, Sue couldn't only watch. She reached her hand just in time for Meena to take it. Sue pulled her out of the water.

"Hey, you okay?" Sue asked as she wiped her glasses.

"Yes, I am... Thank you..." Meena panted.

"Good. Can't hell believe she did that again..." Sue groaned.

"Again?"

"Yeah. Annie has a habit of disobeying me, but this time she went over the top. Zoe could've been hurt because of her and I wouldn't forgive her that."

Meena seemed invested in her words. Despite her harsh attitude, Sue is still just a person. Max was right; everyone has a good side to them. From what she's just said she's concerned about Zoe's life so much, even more than her own. Maybe she was mistaken in her.

"I guess that damn dino dislikes when I act like a bitch, which I do all the time, to be honest..." Sue talked to herself, "my snap at you must have triggered her. My uncle's right, I sure am a failure if even my own dino hates me."

"So, your uncle doesn't believe in you?" Meena wondered, seeing kind of a similarity between them.

"Yeah. Well, how can someone whose parents don't give damn and whose uncle puts her down not be a bitch to the world when the world is a bitch to her? Everyone sees me that way. Actually, everyone but Zoe and her family."

"You care about Zoe a lot, am I right?"

"Hell yes!" Sue replied, didn't mind talking to the princess anymore, "she's my only friend..." She sighed and sat down, diving into her memories. "Until I met her I only had my dog, but he died after he got into a fight with a cat. That's how I met Zoe. I took my dog immediately to the animal hospital, but it was too late. And Zoe was there to comfort me; we soon became friends. She's always been by my side until she started saving dinos three years ago. She kept everything a secret, keeping me from the whole D-team thing. I was so jealous. Finding out that she's so close to someone like you made me feel threatened... I don't want to lose her. Saying that 'I care about her a lot' is an understatement."

"Sue, I never meant to make you feel that way," Meena told her.

The brunette looked up at her.

"I understand how you feel. I've never really had friends because of all the rules I had to follow."

"Woah, sounds like the life of my cousin."

"That's why I was so grateful to meet the D-team."

"Guess they helped both of us... I shouldn't be so harsh to everyone, look where it got me; I almost died. And _she_ almost died... Hell, I keep saying how much she means to me and then I get her nearly killed! I'm a horrible friend, aren't I?"

"I can't say that," Meena replied and sat next to her, "you sure shouldn't decide who she should hang out with or not, but you _do_ care about her."

"I know, you're right. I owe you and also somebody else an apology for being a bitch."

"It's okay. Friends?" Meena offered her hand to her.

"Now I see why Zoe talked so excitedly about you." Sue nodded and took her hand. "Friends."

"I wish to have someone who'd care about me as much as you care about Zoe, more than as just a friend."

"What?!" Sue blushed. "The hell you're talking about? Yeah, she's amazing and beautiful and brave and caring and...just the best, but..." She slowly lost the track of her words as they became more and more honest and lovesick. "Every little detail of her body, her every character flaw is still so lovely and makes her even more perfect in my eyes than she already is."

"You said that very nicely," Meena admitted.

Sue chuckled. "Yeah, but I can't tell her that _I love her_ just like that." She covered her mouth and turned red as she realized she said that out loud. She was so embarrassed and mad at herself for saying that, however, she had no idea that Meena wasn't the only person who heard her.

—

This whole time, Zoe was listening through her communicator. Her cheeks were red, she was speechless. Her best friend's confession was so sudden. She felt flattered but unsure of her own feelings.

While she was dealing with that, Rex and Alice had their troubles with the Akuno member and the Gojirasaurus. Tashi was chasing the fast Gojirasaurus, even with her high speed she didn't manage to hit him without a move card. Alice knew she needed help.

She yelled at the Gojirasaurus, luring him to her. As he turned his attention to her, stopping, Tashi caught up with him, ramming into him with her head, throwing him at River.

That went actually according to Rex's plan; both dinosaurs were slowed down and in one place. He swiped the Cyclone move card. When the wind surrounded Ace he put two fingers on his communicator, it started to glow in blue light.

Alice watched in amaze.

"I just hope Reese was right," Rex said as the power of the cyclone increased. Ace charged at the Allosaurus and the Gojirasaurus, the wind lifted them up and tossed them to different directions. They both turned into cards on the impact.

Alice rushed to grab the Gojirasaurus, but Cruz was faster. Then he teleported to his card and before anyone managed to stop him he was gone with a few final words: "I won't hurt him."

Despite their victory in the battle, they lost the card. Rex and Alice called their dinos back into the chibi forms.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't fast enough..." Alice murmured.

"It's alright, we'll get another chance to get the Gojirasaurus back," Rex told her calmly, "I want to thank you."

"Thank me...?"

"Yeah. When I attacked I remembered what you told me in the museum and today. It helped me focus and find another point of view. Ace and I wouldn't make without Tashi and you."

"You're welcome." Alice looked down at her Pachycephalosaurus who purred.

Soon, Max and Chomp came back with Annie's card. They all grouped together.

"So, did you get the card?" Max asked them. Rex and Alice shook their heads. "What?"

"He was too fast."

"Hell, I leave you alone for ten minutes and you immediately fail," an annoyed voice said behind them. Just from the choice of words, they knew who to expect.

Zoe turned around and when she saw Sue she ran to her and hugged her.

"Girl? Hey, won't you hug your other friend too?" Sue asked her, referring to Meena.

"I'm alright with that, don't worry," Meena said.

"Oh, shut up." Sue grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, hugging her.

"What did we miss?" Rex wondered.

"Sorry, guys, if I didn't trigger Annie we could have got that dino," Sue apologized after she let go of the girls, "I should talk to her."

Max nodded and gave her the Daspletosaurus card. Sue called Annie out.

The Daspletosaurus immediately growled angrily at her.

Sue knelt down in front of her. "Hey, I know I screwed up pretty badly. I've been thinking...And I think it would be best for everyone if I give up on you and give you to someone who'll treat you better than me. We're like an explosive substance together. I already considered the options and I think Reese would be great for that. She'd keep you on a leash, plus she definitely deserves her own dino. I know that without you I can't go on these missions and spend so much time with Zoe, but I'm willing to sacrifice that to keep her safe. I already caused enough troubles." She stood up. "You'll be better off without me."

She was about to turn Annie into a card when her communicator started to glow red. The glow soon surrounded her whole body and Annie's too. _"I'm starting to like you. You show off your heart as cold and empty, but your soul is burning with passion to what you believe in,"_ Sue heard a voice in her head say.

"You're right about that," she replied

 _"I suppose I can give you one last chance."_

"Why the hell would you do that?"

 _"...You remind me of one of my offsprings."_

Sue pick the Daspletosaurus up. "Then I'll try my best." The glow around them disappeared.

Meena and Alice stared confusedly at what was that suppose to be.

"Hey, what about we spend some more time here before heading home?" Sue suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Zoe agreed. The others did else well.

They all spent several hours together, having fun, shopping. Rex even summoned the chibi Deltadromeus to see Meena again and they let her keep him as a company for the time they don't see each other.

In the end, Sue was returning home with not only a new perspective of the world but also a new look. It wasn't a big change, but a noticeable one for sure. She bought two blue elastic bands to mimic her best friend's look and show everyone the change her new friend helped to go through.

—

Once they got back to Japan, Sue went to apologize to the one person that suffered the most because of her.

She rang the doorbell, but when Amy opened the door she immediately closed it shut.

"Wait! Amy!" Sue yelled, "I need to talk to you! Please!"

She got no answer.

She tried it a few more times with the same result.

—

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. *sighs* Damn, that was long. I apologize for making the dino battels so short, but they aren't interesting for me to write.**

 **As for the chapter's plot, Rex is slowly moving over his mistake with Alice's help, Sue turned from her worst to her best and Amy is starting to give up. All three points are very important.**

 **I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for the next chapter where we'll finally visit two characters that didn't have their time to shine yet.**


	16. Rise Of The Summer Sun

The very same day, the D-team continued their crystal training. Rex once again as the only one managed to expand his element but unlike the last time, he had it under control. He was thinking about what Alice told him over and over again as he slowly wasn't thinking about that, but only about her. How she was the one who snapped him out of Mary's spells the first time, how she protected him from her, how she believed in him. He directed the wind around the room and then slowly decreased it.

"Good job."

"That's not fair," Max and Zoe said, jealous.

Reese made notes, while behind her Sora and Aki were just standing. He noticed her concerned face.

"You okay?" he asked the brunette.

She looked up at him. "I've been better."

"Figured. So, what's bothering you?" He folded his arms, raising his eyebrow.

She didn't reply.

"Michael and Kato, am I right?"

"Maybe..."

"Bingo. I noticed you acting like this when Komatsu and Shiraki were killed. I know how you feel." He placed his hand to his heart; he had a photo of a loved one in that pocket. "To tell you the truth, I was scared too when Shiraki died; I still don't believe it happened because he was a guardian since he gave up on that position. Maybe you should do the same."

"Give up on being Cole's guardian?"

"Yeah. Don't take it in a wrong way, but you've never seemed to be the type fit for a guardian."

"I'm too weak..." Aki sighed.

"Hey, I never said that! You're just... A pacifist in every sense of the word," Sora tried to explain. However, she turned away. "Sorry..."

She only sighed.

—

Meanwhile, in a small second-hand store Niki was carrying a box with jeans to a shelf; Stegi was following her. She put the box down and started putting the clothes on the shelf. Stegi sat down, looking up at her, wagging his tail happily. Niki noticed it.

"Well, just wait until I put everything in place and then we'll go play outside, okay?" Stegi nodded.

Then the door of the store opened and a man with dark greenish hair entered. Niki gasped, dropping a pair of jeans. She picked Stegi up and rushed into the closet, hiding inside.

"Mrs. Saka," he said as he walked to Nicole's mother who was selling at the store. She glared at him.

"Seiji."

Niki peeked out of the closet, covering Stegi's mouth to keep him quiet.

The man was Seiji Shuryo, Niki's uncle and Sora's boss.

"What do you want?" his sister asked him.

"I'd like to see my niece, that's all. You know I always love to see her."

"I do, but she's...she's busy right now. Sorry."

"Alright then. See you, Mrs. Saka." Shuryo left the store.

His sister sighed. "Arrogant, possessive and seeking for power."

Niki and Stegi walked out of the closet.

"He hasn't called me 'sister' or by my first name for fifteen years. I hope you and your brother won't have this kind of relationship when you get older."

"Well, me too." Niki went back to work.

Ever since the dinosaurs started appearing again, Shuryo started snooping around; they assumed it had a connection, that's why they hide Stegi from him. The whole family knows that he'd love power like that for himself and since it was rumored that he knows identities of people connected to the incidents, it was possible he thought that Niki is one of them. He was right in a certain way.

Once she was done, Niki and Stegi headed outside for a walk. They were walking through the city when they saw something unusual; Nicolas Komatsu was strolling by himself. He's usually accompanied by his group of bullies, but now he's all alone.

Her heart was beating so fast as if she was running this whole time.

"Um, Nick?" she called. Nicolas looked at her and then glanced away, walking away.

Once his chocolate eyes fell on her, her cheeks turned red. It's been happening to her for a while now, every time she sees him. Unlike everyone else, she tends to overlook all the mistakes he's done. He's so handsome...

Everyone hates him; everyone sees what he is now, not what he used to be. That's what she sees; that nice boy, her friend.

She sighed in admiration as he passed her.

"You want anything?" he wondered.

"Well...no..."

"Would you like to talk?"

—

Back on the Backland, the training ended. The trio got tired, their arms were sore.

"It isn't fair," both Max and Zoe murmured, jealous of their friend's success. Still, they were happy that he seems much more relaxed now.

Spike noticed the sadness in their faces and immediately tried to cheer them up. "You two did great too! I'm sure I saw some more sparks and the flower grow a little. You'll control it perfectly one day."

Max smiled pitifully at his father's attempt to make them feel better.

Zoe, however, looked at her sister who was too focused on her notes from the training that she ignored her. She felt a bit better after Dr. Taylor's words, but she hoped to hear them from Reese instead.

"Alright then, now that there's no rush. Lightning!" Sora called. Max looked back at him, pointing at himself. "Me?" Sora nodded, grinning, pulling out a printout shot from a battle that took place several weeks ago. Both Max and Chomp were on the picture. "Is it okay if I ask you for an autograph for my son?"

"Huh?" Max blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh. Well, guess... I'm famous now," he chuckled.

Zoe pouted, folding her arms. "I thought I'll be the first one to be famous."

Max opened his fanny pack and searched for an ink pen. He signed the picture. Chomp growled curiously. Max knelt down with the picture and broke the pen, spilling a bit of ink on Chomp's paw. Then Chomp pressed his foot against the picture, making an ink footstep there.

"Thank you! Ken's going to love it! He recognized your Triceratops immediately. Man, you have no idea how many times he's watched that film, JuraJura Park!"

Ace hissed to get the attention.

"Oh, right! You're in there too," Sora realized.

"You'd like to give him your autograph too, right, Ace?" Max asked him. Ace wagged his tail.

"I hope the fame won't go into his head," Rex admitted.

Max grinned and did the same as he did with Chomp.

"Why are the boys the famous ones now?" Zoe and Paris glared jealously.

"Hey, Owen, you took part in making that movie as well!" Sora turned to Foster.

"I don't want to have anything to do with that poor excuse of a dinosaur movie!" Dr. Owen snapped, whining like a kid, "even with the real dinosaurs it was a disaster!"

Spike could only chuckle at that.

Once she was done with her notes, Reese turned to the group. "Rex, you mentioned before that you managed to use your crystal in a battle, am I right?"

"Yes, I did. I know you said that it can be dangerous without training-"

"But he still defeated both the Gojirasaurus and the Allosaurus," Zoe interrupted him.

"However, it didn't help us to get the card..." Rex frowned.

"It wouldn't happen if I helped you," Zoe said.

"It isn't your fault in any way," Rex told her, smiling, "Alice and I..."

As they were talking Aki stayed back, looking at a dark gray crystal. One half of it reflected her, but the other reflected somebody who wasn't even near, Cole. The owner of the crystal she's supposed to protect.

 _"Give up on being Cole's guardian? I'm too weak..."_

 _"You're just... a pacifist."_

She sighed softly. Mary now knows that she is a guardian, meaning that the Akuno possibly knows as well. She's in big danger now.

She slowly walked away, thinking about her own safety and capability.

"Speaking about famous, Cole with his band is going to be a part of that summer festival tomorrow and-Huh?" Spike then noticed that something was wrong. Aki was gone. He started panicking inside.

—

Nicolas and Niki sat on a nearby bench, Stegi sat on the ground beside them.

"So, where are-"

"No clue," Nicolas replied coldly, assuming she wanted to ask about his group of bullies, "they kicked me out."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm too big of a bastard for them. I wanted to talk to Andy about it, but he has his own personal issues."

Nicolas and his neighbor Andy have been friends for years and alongside with Niki, Andy was the only one who saw Nick the same way as he used to be.

"That's why I'm glad I ran into you, Nicole," he said.

Her always red cheeks became redder as her heart skipped the beat. "So, you are glad...?"

"You're the only one who'd listen to me pouring my heart out. We used to be... _friends_ after all."

Niki was actually shocked by his behavior. This is the Nicolas she knew, the one she's been seeing this whole time. That bad boy act was gone now that he was by himself.

"Nobody knows about this, but I started bullying my brother and some others to intimidate people and it worked. Nobody dares to speak to me normally, only you were that one idiot who did," he chuckled rather uncomfortably.

"I see. But, well, what is your actual reason?" she asked him, not buying his poor excuse.

He glared at her. "You're not as dumb as you seem."

 _"He thought I'm dumb?!"_ ran through her mind in alarm.

"We're not such good friends yet for you to know." He got up and looked at her. "But thank you..." He walked away.

"So, what was this about?" Niki wondered quietly, looking at Stegi. He only titled his head.

—

Aki sat on the bed once she got back home by herself, looking at the crystal again.

She couldn't get her own words out of her head.

 _"I'm too weak..."_

She's always been so weak and scared, always needed to be protected. If she could be just a little bit stronger at least for once.

Why would anyone choose her to be a guardian?

No... She couldn't... She was terrified of that...

But still... There was that one time.

 _"Watch out!"_

Despite being scared to death, she rushed into the danger.

 _"I. Am. Not. Leaving."_

Her reason for that was obvious, right...?

She's never been so brave before. Why does she have to be so weak?

She was pulled out of her thoughts as somebody hugged from behind. She gasped and looked back. Her husband was holding her tightly. "There you are..." he murmured, "I was so scared when you just vanished."

She chuckled, not believing him. "You and scared?"

"Of course. You got everyone worried. We thought that the Akuno... You know..."

"Yeah... I'm afraid of that too," she admitted.

"Then I'll be Cole's guardian instead of you," Spike suggested, "I'd honestly prefer that."

"So, you think I'm too weak to be a guardian...?"

"What? No way! I just want to keep you safe." He brushed her hair from her face.

"Don't you realize that I want the same? I don't want you to be in bigger danger than you need to be in. But I can't protect you from that."

He tightened his grip around her. "You can and you did. You saved me back then. I wouldn't be here without you; I might be hurt, but I am alive only thanks to you."

A tear ran down her cheek. "Thank you so much; I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome. I'm so grateful to you for saving me, but... Please, don't do it again. I was so afraid."

"I'm sorry..."

His words made her feel much better; she forgot all about her worries until she was woken up in the middle of the night.

A rather confusing guitar riff sounded through the house.

Aki woke up, looking sleepily around. Both Spike and Blitz were still sleeping like they didn't even hear the sound. She got up, walking into the corridor. She saw sleepy Rex knocking rapidly on Cole's door where the guitar sounds were coming from. He was holding a pillow over his head to reduce the noise. Ace was standing by his side, his head hanging tiredly.

"Cole! Stop! Some of us would like to sleep...!"

Aki walked over to them. "Rex...? Can't sleep...?"

He looked at her, frowning. "Who could sleep when Cole doesn't stop playing?"

"I know two guys and their dinosaurs who can... You two should go to bed, I'll try to talk to him."

"Okay..." He nodded and left back to his room with Ace.

Aki knocked on the door. Cole continued playing, not hearing anything. She then entered the room. Cole continued playing, sitting on the bed. The Compy Squad was watching him, gathered around him.

"Cole..." He didn't respond.

She grabbed the guitar and that was when he finally reacted. "Cole, it's midnight."

"I'm just preparing for the concert," he snapped.

"Cole Taylor, don't talk to me like that."

He looked up at her. "Sorry..."

"What's bothering you?" she asked him kindly as she sat beside him.

"I think Ice Queen was right. The Compy Squad's too weak. We've never actually managed to beat a dinosaur. They're just so tiny and since we don't even have proper move cards, we're useless..."

Aki smiled understandably. "It's alright to feel that way sometimes. I feel weak too."

Cole chuckled. "Oh, come on. You're not weak. A weak person couldn't keep guys like us in line so easily. You're absolutely amazing!"

"You're saying that only because I am your mother."

"No, I'm saying that because I have my awesomeness from you."

She sighed and touched her necklace; it glowed in the gray light and then the glow formed into a crystal. "There's something I have to tell you."

"You're my guardian?" Cole asked her when she told him about the crystals, owners, and guardians. He seemed to take it lightly.

"I'm supposed to protect you and your crystal, but I've been doubting my capability of that for a while. After several guardians died, I got scared, not just for myself, but also for your father."

"That's understandable, but the sooner we get over with these things the sooner we'll be safe and we need all possible help to do so, even yours."

She nodded and took Cole's communicator. "You'll need to have it just in case," she said as the crystal turned into a beam that flew inside of the communicator.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now go to sleep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, mom."

Before Aki left, one of the Compies, Alpha, ran towards her and climbed on her shoulder.

"He really seems to like you," Cole chuckled. Alpha looked at him beggingly. "Alright, you can go, but behave yourself." The Compsognathus nodded.

Aki headed back to the bedroom with Alpha. She laid on the bed and Alpha curled next to her head. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

—

The next day early in the morning, Reese walked into the D-lab, sat down and turned on the TV. Once the screen lit up, the News King was on.

"It is now 10 o'clock and every year music festival, Rise of the Summer Sun beings on Sanjo square that is since 8 o'clock filled with crowds of excited fans. Today will perform bands like The Deviants, Ruby Eye, an American group Light of Stars and of course the young band from our city, Taken Down To Heaven, and many more," the news lady said.

Reese kept the TV on, turning her attention to her work.

On the square, a small dark-haired girl and her brunette friend with a golden Dilophosaurus on her shoulder walked around the camera.

"There are so many people..." Dark murmured, clenching onto Sabi's arm.

"Don't worry, just don't get lost," Sabi told her. Then she spotted a familiar blonde with her Stegosaurus. "Niki!"

"Sabi!" The blonde headed to her friend. "So, this is Dark?" Niki asked, looking at Dark carefully. The small girl was holding onto Sabi's arm. The brunette nodded. "Yeah, she's a little shy."

"Well, it is great to meet you in a better situation than before," Niki admitted.

Dark nodded. "Agreed..."

Not that far from them was the Shiraki-Shinori family, waiting for the first band to start.

"Urgh! I can't see anything," Kenji complained, with his arms raised up, holding his camera, "how am I suppose to film the show when I can't see it?"

"Hey, I have an idea!" Sora grinned. He picked Kenji up and set him on his shoulders.

"Huh? Dad, what the-Woah! This is amazing!" Kenji cheered as he was high above the crowd. He put up the camera. "HEY! I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD NOW! "

"No, we both are!" Kenji and Sora laughed.

Zakuro facepalmed herself. "I don't know these two idiots."

"Me neither," Dengyo added.

Nicolas and Ema with Ellen were also part of the crowd.

After the third band finished their concert, Taken Down To Heaven, the band Cole and Kyra went on a tour with three years ago, was preparing in the backstage. It was a space behind the newly built-up stage, separated by a keep-away tape.

"I hope I'll hear you guys cheering and applauding down there," Cole told his family. Unlike his usual red jacket with yellow collar, he was wearing a white shirt, a vest of a mix of a gray and brownish color, black jeans, and leather boots with several tiny chains on the clothes, giving him a rockstar look.

"You bet," Max replied, pumping his fist with his brother.

"Performing at this festival is a big thing," Spike said, "good luck, Cole." He reached his hand to him to proudly rub his head, but Cole backed away.

"No! Not the hair!" Cole objected, "do you have any idea how long it took me to do this fabulous hairstyle?"

"Sorry."

"That hair sure is fabulous," a girl from staff that passed them giggled.

Cole grinned at her.

"Alright, see you later." Max waved at him as he and his parents headed back to the audience.

"Wait. Mom! Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." Aki, who had Alpha on her shoulder, looked at Cole and walked back to him. "I'll catch up with you," she told her husband and youngest son.

"Okay." They walked away with Chomp and Blitz.

"How are you?" Cole asked his mother.

"Better."

"Good to hear that. Hey, I thought if you could take care of the Compy squad and my communicator during the concert. You're my guardian after all."

"Of course."

"Thanks." He gave her the communicator. "Alright, guys, go." Mitch led Zeta and Delta to Aki.

Gamma growled sadly, lowering her head. Cole picked her up. "Come on, it won't take long. I know I'm leaving you in the best hands." Her yellow eyes looked up at him. "I'll head to you once we're done, okay?" Gamma nodded and jumped over at Aki's shoulder.

"Good luck, Cole."

"Thanks."

Aki and the Compy squad headed after the others.

Cole then felt a tap on his shoulder. "Um... Mr. Cole...?" He turned around to see the girl from the staff holding a diary and a pen.

"C-could I-?" She didn't have to finish for him to realize. He signed in the diary. "There you go."

"T-thank you!" She left when she ran her eyes across his body.

"Wow, girls sure love you, Cole," a male voice said. Cole turned his head to see two 20 years old guys, one with dark hair covered with a slightly sparkly scarf, Ethan, and the other with blonde messy hair, Ryan.

"They sure love me more than you two, especially when you're sparkling like that, Ethan. You're letting everyone know your true colors?"

"Hey, leave my sparkles alone," Ethan objected, "it's not called being gay, it's called being fabulous!"

"But you two are gay; that's why girls don't flirt with you anymore and because you're both taken."

"Talking about being fabulous," Ryan started, "your hair, Cole."

"I know!" The brunette grinned and tossed his head to the side. "My mom helped me with it. I gotta look great when I perform again."

"Hey, what about we make this our comeback?" Ethan suggested.

"I'd love to, Eth, but I have some personal stuff to do and Kyra's got issues. That's why she isn't here."

"Do you know anything about her?"

He remembered Kyra's breakdown, her maniacal laugh...

His hand curled into a fist. "Some... health problems... Anyway, we should get ready."

—

"There they are!" Dr. Owen called when he saw the Taylors heading through the crowd to him, Rex, Zoe, Ace, and Paris.

"Hey, guys!"

The managed to meet after going through the crowd. The dinosaurs rushed to each other; only Alpha and Gamma stayed on Aki's shoulders.

"Woah, I think there's the whole city," Max said in aww.

"Not really," Zoe told him, "mom and dad are busy and Reese, Justin, and Alice are repairing Sue's communicator; the speakers don't work since it got wet."

"Wait, I thought the communicators are waterproof," Rex pointed out.

"Yeah, but Justin was the one who made Sue's; I think he overlooked it in the blueprints."

"And where is she?"

"I don't know. She said she needs to do something important."

—

Meanwhile, Sue went back to the house she visited yesterday. Once again she rang the doorbell. Despite seeing one of the curtains move, nobody answered the door. She repeated her action with the same result.

She sighed and sat on the doorstep. She stroked Annie's head gently.

Then she phoned her new friend.

"Meena..." Sue groaned annoyedly.

"What is wrong, Sue?"

"She's not opening the damn door."

"Amy?"

"Yeah. I want to apologize to her, but she doesn't even wanna see me. I must've hurt her real bad..."

"Do not lose your head, Sue," Meena adviced her, "she's gotta leave one day. Wait, are you sure she isn't at the festival?"

"No, I saw the curtains move. Anyway, thanks, girl."

"Don't mention it. Sue, I apologize, but Cole's performance starts in seconds; I have to go."

"Don't tell me you like his music," Sue chuckled.

"I do!" Meena replied, "but you sure like him too."

"Yeah, maybe, but he'll never know. Enjoy. Bye."

"Bye."

Sue sighed again. "I screwed up, didn't I?" she asked her Daspletosaurus.

—

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

"It's here!" Kyra squeaked and jumped on the couch as she heard that. She was still shaking; her wrist hurt. She wasn't able to perform with others just yet, so she at least watched them on TV. "It's here!" Jessica the Corythosaurus climbed on her lap.

"You sure are excited," Wendy told her as she sat next to her, holding her baby.

"Yeah," Nora agreed, sitting down as well, "she's got that after you, sis." She looked at Lucy who was standing outside, smoking.

"Whatever."

—

"And now the band we've all been waiting for!"

Rosie turned up the radio, so she and Mike can listen in the animal hospital.

While Reese and Justin looked up from their work in the D-lab. Alice woke up, sitting on a chair. Karo and Tashi ran to the screen.

—

"The young Sanjo band!"

Even Andy glanced at the TV screen, while his siblings and Aaron were watching.

—

"The one! The only!"

Meena clenched a pillow to her chest excitedly. She's never seen a concert before, not even on TV.

—

"TAKEN DOWN TO HEAVEN!"

At that moment, the whole crowd started cheering and applauding; Cole and his friends walked on the stage.

Ethan sat behind the drums, Ryan grabbed the bass and Cole picked up the guitar and walked over to the mic stand.

"Hey, I guess we don't have to introduce ourselves," Cole said into the microphone. A cheering was his response. He grinned. "Alright, as you noticed, Kyra isn't here with us today. She couldn't come here, so we'll do our best in incomplete formation. You know, a few days ago, I've heard one of our songs on the radio and as I watched my family and friend dance in pairs to it, I wished Kyra was there so I can dance with her again. So, this one's for you, Kyra." He smiled warmly, blushing.

—

Kyra blinked a few times, blushing as well.

"Looks like he isn't over that breakup yet," Lucy joked.

—

The band started playing the love song, Love of Heaven. The crowd loved it and most of them sang along. Even the ones at home were humming along with the song they heard from radios or TVs.

At the end of the song, Cole didn't have to sing, the audience took his job, singing the chorus together.

He chuckled when the song ended. "You guys are great! Alright, let's rock now!"

While Taken Down To Heaven was playing Blow Up the Dancefloor, a couple of musicians who already had their performance were smoking in the backstage. However, unnoticed by them there was a card lying on the ground. A part of the burning end of one cigarette fell down on the card.

It glowed in red light.

In the next moment, a dark dinosaur burst out of the backstage of the main stage where Cole and the others were performing right now.

The band immediately stopped playing, the crowd was frozen in place.

"A Yangchuanosaurus?" Cole whispered.

—

"Oh, no!" Justin got off his chair, staring at the screen. "We have to go!"

"Wait!" Reese grabbed his hand.

"W-why?!" he yelp, panicking.

"Zoe and the others are there. You aren't needed yet."

"Okay..."

—

The dinosaur roared and everyone snapped out.

"Cole!" Aki was the first one to react. "Compy squad!" She rushed to the stage with the Compies and Cole's communicator.

"Aki, wait!" Spike called. Then the crowd started moving, pushing each other. He tried to get to her, but the whole crowd was heading the other way, not abling him getting closer to her.

Max got ready to turn Chomp into a card. "Alright, guys, let's stop that dino!" He looked at his friends, but they weren't there. "Um, guys?"

The others were dragged and pushed away.

"Huh?!"

"Max!" Rex reached his hand to his friend.

"Rex-!" Then even Max and his father were pushed in different directions.

As the crowd got in a safe distance Aki rushed to the stage. "Cole!"

The guitarist looked at her. She threw the communicator at him; he caught it. Yang growled at her.

"Stay away from her!" Cole yelled, turning Mitch and the rest into cards. "Dino slash! Let them hear you, Compsognathus!" He swiped the cards.

All five Compies jumped at Yang, trying to bite her and scratch her. She roared. They didn't hurt her, but it was oddly annoying.

Cole reached his hand to his mother. "Mom!" She took it and he pulled her up on the stage. "You okay?"

"I...I'm fine..." Aki said, shaking. She couldn't believe she just ran to a dinosaur so recklessly. It wasn't like her, but just like before, she felt a need to do so.

Zeta and Delta climbed on Yang's head and attacked her eyes, temporarily blinding her; she fell off the stage.

—

Some people from the crowd stepped out, filming everything.

Zoe tried to peek through those people to see the battle or her friends. "Paris! Guys! Paris! Where are you?!" She jumped up to see over the people, but it didn't help a bit.

She sighed. She was all alone in this and Paris and the others are who knows where.

Then she heard a slight roar. She looked down to see Blitz.

"Blitz!" She picked the Styracosaurus up. "You got separated too, huh?"

Apart from a dinosaur notification sound, her communicator beeped a few times, letting her know someone calling. She unhooked the device off her belt.

The screen lit up and Max and Rex appeared, each on a different half of the display.

"Hey, guys! Have you seen Paris?" she immediately asked.

"Yeah, she's with us," Max told her.

"Thank God..." A huge weight fell off her. "Blitz is with me."

"He won't be anymore, we need to fight that Yangchuanosaurus," Spike said from Max's side.

"No, there isn't enough space for another dinosaur," Foster objected from Rex's side.

"Right, people are too close; a big dino fight wouldn't end up good here," Rex agreed.

"Mom is there! We have to do something!" Max replied, urging.

"It's too dangerous for everyone!"

"We have to!"

"Guys, stop fighting!" Zoe snapped at them, "you're both right. She is in danger, but don't forget that Cole's with her. We need to trust him."

"You're right..." Max said. Everyone agreed, but still...

—

"This is great! I have the perfect angle to record the fight!" Kenji chuckled as he was filming the dino battle, still sitting on Sora's shoulders. The whole family stayed close to see.

"Den!" Sabi rushed to them with Dark, Star, Niki, and Stegi.

"Kon?"

"We should attack," Sabi said.

"No, not with people so close," Dengyo told her, "the Yanguanosaurus will be taken care of by Taylor."

"Guess you're right." Sabi nodded.

"Well, right," Niki agreed.

"Sabina? Nicole?" Ema turned to them when she recognized the voices.

"The heck is this a class reunion?" Nicolas who was standing nearby growled.

Niki blushed. "Nick...? So, you're here too..."

"No... We shouldn't fight that dinosaur," Dark objected.

Kenji looked back. "Dark! You're here!" He outbalanced and fell down. Zakuro caught him and put him on the ground. Kenji hugged Dark.

"But it's good you found us because where is a dinosaur there is the Akuno," Dengyo exclaimed.

"Yeah, and Cruz's right here." Ema pointed at an Allosaurus and his partner heading towards them. "It's time to take them out." She reached out for her stone plate, but Sabi grabbed her hand. "Wait."

"What?"

"You and I had our chances to shine. Leave it to Niki," Sabi told her.

"Me?" Niki jumped in surprise, playing with her long blond hair.

"Sure, just do what you did the first time we found Stegi. To protect everyone here."

Niki's eyes widened as she looked around. Her cheeks became redder as her light blue eyes fell on Nicolas.

"Well, do you really think I can do it?" she asked.

"Definitely."

"But..." Dark murmured.

"Dark, there is no other choice. Who knows what the Akuno can do to that dino," Sabi explained, "we're saving them this way. I'm sorry."

"It'll be okay, my love!" Kenji hugged Dark more tightly.

"Oh, God..."

"What's this guy's problem?" Ema and Nicolas sighed.

"Well, Sabi, I'm ready," Niki said.

"Okay. You don't have to use that orange card, but it could help you," Sabi advised her.

Niki nodded and turned Stegi into a card.

"Well, let's go. Spikes on, Stegi!" she said as she swiped the card across the stone plate.

A purple Stegosaurus appeared and charged at the Allosaurus.

—

The Compy Squad kept attacking Yang while Cole and Aki were staying back on the stage.

Spike was watching from the crowd. He couldn't help it, he was so worried. He reached for his whip.

"I know you want to go and protect her," Max told him, "but they can do it themselves. Cole's with her."

"I know you're right, but it's hard to just stand here and watch."

"We just have to trust them."

However, Spike still couldn't stop being worried about Aki's life. She ran there just to show that she's strong enough...

 _"So, you think I'm too weak to be a guardian...?"_

"Aki..."

—

 _"Dad, why did you call us?" Aki asked. This was almost 17 years ago._

 _Her father chuckled. "I think it's the right time I give you this." He put a dark gray crystal in her hands._

 _"One of the legendary crystals," Spike who was standing behind Aki said._

 _"Right. I want you to be its owner's guardian, Aki."_

 _"A guardian?! B-but, dad, you know that I can't-"_

 _"The impossible is possible, all you gotta do is make it so! And you can. In the worst-case scenarios, Spike is going to protect you, right?"_

 _"Of course, Mr. Momota. But I'm sure it won't be needed," Spike tried to cheer his wife. She looked at him. They're married for just a few years now, but it already felt like forever. He knows what to say to make her feel better._

 _She nodded. "Okay."_

 _Her father held her hand with the crystal. "Aki Taylor, are you willingly becoming a guardian of the sound crystal and a guardian of its owner?"_

 _"I am," once she replied, the crystal glowed and a gray light surrounded her body. When the light died he let go off her._

 _"And how do I know who the owner is?" she wondered._

 _"You'll just know."_

—

 _Several months have passed..._

 _Aki and Spike were about to leave the house to go on a date._

 _"You sure you have everything?" he asked her as he always does._

 _"Actually, now that you mentioned. I think I left something in the oven," she remembered, "can you go check and take it out?"_

 _"Sure thing." He went into the kitchen and looked in the oven; there was a bun._

 _"Well, is there anything?" she asked him, heading after him._

 _"There's just a bun in the oven," he answered and took it out._

 _"Really?" she wondered a little teasingly as if she was implying to something._

 _"Huh?" He looked at her, confusedly._

 _"Think about it," she told him with the same tone._

 _"Is there something I'm missing?" He blinked a few times._

 _She pointed her finger on the bun, then at the oven and then at her belly._

 _He realized, gasping. His eyes widened and filled with tears. He rushed to her and cupped her cheeks, grinning._

—

 _It's been a while since Cole was born. Aki was sitting near the crib, looking at the crystal in her hand. Half of the reflection was hers, but the other half was a reflection of a baby; it was Cole, the owner of the sound crystal._

 _"I can't be weak now... I can't..."_

 _She was trying to convince herself about that for years, but her first experience with a full-sized dinosaur made her throw all those attempts away._

— _  
_

 _She was sitting on the couch, looking at the crystal again. She and the others were imprisoned again by the Space Pirates after they tried to escape._

 _"We were so close," Rosie sighed._

 _"Yeah. But those Gel Jark things are too strong for us," Mike growled._

 _"We tried and actually escaped," Cretacia reminded them, attempting to cheer everyone up, "and that's what counts! Right?"_

 _"I suppose..."_

 _"It didn't have to happen," Aki murmured, frowning at the crystal._

 _"What do you mean?" Spike asked her and sat beside her._

 _"I could have used the crystal to get us out of that mess..."_

 _"I disagree with that," Trias objected, "if Specter found out about the crystals we'd be in bigger danger even if we escaped, especially you."_

 _"Right. You should use the crystal only in life-death scenarios right now. It wasn't your fault that we got captured again," Spike reassured his wife, "you aren't weak." He cupped her cheeks, grinning._

—

Yang got up and shook the Compies off. Cole managed to catch Mitch, Alpha, Zeta, and Delta, but Gamma hit the ground hard.

"Gamma!" He rushed to her and picked her up. "You okay?" She just growled softly.

Aki was just standing behind Cole, trembling. Tears filled up her eyes when Yang roared.

"...there's...there's nothing I can do..." she sobbed.

Cole noticed how scared she is. He had to end the fight as soon as possible. He looked around. When his eyes fell on the instruments he got an idea, but he needed their help.

Cole ran to Ethan and Ryan who were still on the stage, hugging each other in fear. "Guys! I need you to play another song with me!"

"Are you crazy?!" Ethan snapped.

"I hope you have a plan, Cole," Ryan said.

"I do." Cole nodded.

"You actually wanna do it?!" Ethan wondered. Ryan kissed his forehead. "There's nothing else we can do."

"Okay..."

"Good. Get everything ready." Cole headed back to Aki. "Mom!" He took her hand. "Mom, I need your help!"

"What...?"

He touched his communicator and his crystal came out.

"That Yangchuanosaurus is blind now, she orients by sounds. That's why we have to use sound to defeat her. I need you, mom." He cupped her cheeks and grinned. "I can't do it without you..."

She stared at him, he looked so much like his father.

She took the crystal. "Alright."

Cole smiled widely, his eyes shined in happiness.

—

Meanwhile, Niki and Stegi were fighting against Cruz and River.

The battle seemed even until Niki swiped the move card and won. However, Sabi couldn't shake off the feeling that Cruz wasn't even trying this time.

—

"Cole, everything's ready," Ryan told the brunette.

"Great!" Cole grabbed the guitar and they started playing.

Yang turned her attention to the sound and roared; she headed towards them.

"Mom, now!"

Aki held the crystal in front of her. It started to glow and the sound from the instruments became louder and louder. All the sound waves were directed at the Yangchuanosaurus.

She roared in agony, shaking her head rapidly.

Cole put the guitar down and swiped a move card while the dino was distracted. "Power Drain." The green Compies grouped together and shot a gray beam at her, draining her energy.

She fell to the ground.

"Alright, Mitch, let's finish this! Death Grind!" Once Cole swiped the move card, Mitch was filled with a huge power compared to his size.

He dragged Yang across the ground. Then he turned and farted at her. She then turned back into a card.

"Cole." Aki glared at her son, questioning his choice of move card. "You really had to use that one?"

"I had no idea it'll do that! I didn't get a warning from Kid!" he objected.

Zeta brought them the Yangchuanosaurus card and they got off the stage.

Ethan and Ryan went their separate way, while Aki, Cole and the Compy Squad stayed in the backstage. Cole turned the Compies into their chibi forms and then he hugged his mother.

"Mom, you were amazing!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We wouldn't make it without you." He pulled away from her.

Then they noticed others running towards them.

"Guys!" Cole waved at them but was totally ignored.

Spike rushed to hug Aki. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am..."

He cupped her cheeks. "Why were you so reckless? That was stupid. You made me so scared!"

"I know..." she chuckled tearfully.

"You're such a dummy." He kissed her forehead. "I knew you can do it."

"Oh, really?"Foster wondered, "weren't you the only one who was worried and wanted to join the battle despite our warnings?"

"You're not helping." Spike glared at him.

"There was nothing to worry about," Cole reassured him, wrapping his arm around Aki's shoulders, "we make a great team and we won! We did it because I have the best guardian!"

"I don't think we can celebrate just yet," Rex said.

"Why?" Zoe asked him.

"Something doesn't add up here," he replied with a serious tone.

At that moment, Max's communicator beeped as somebody contacted him. He answered the call as Rex continued talking, "this whole time none of us has seen the Akuno."

"We did," sounded from Max's communicator. Rex and Zoe looked over Max's shoulders to see Sabi on the display.

"We defeated Cruz and his Allosaurus," she explained.

"So, you tell me to fight a battle and take all the credit?" someone from Sabi's side asked teasingly. They recognized that voice. "Niki?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Guys, would it be okay to ask you for a few of those communicators?" Sabi wondered.

"How many?"

"Four."

"Alright! So, four people will join the Home Forces," Max said.

"No, no, no." Sabi shook her head. "Call us the 'Sakura Group'."

—

"The Rise of the Summer Sun festival was interrupted by a dinosaur. Fortunately, nobody was hurt."

Seiji Shuryo was sitting in his office, watching the news. Some recordings of the incident were shown, including the ones where Aki and Cole were clearly seen fighting the dinosaur.

He grinned evilly. "Let's see if you can talk your way out of this one, Taylor, Drake, Wada."

—

 **Yay! So, Niki and Stegi join the Sakura Group and Aki and Cole make a great team now! The 'weakest' guardian has proven herself and I'm so proud of her!**

 **The flashbacks were a last-minute addition to the chapter, but I'm glad I made them.**

 **I know, I know, the chapters are getting longer and longer. That's why the battles are cut short, so you aren't bored to read the whole thing. There will be no battle in the next chapter, so hopefully, it'll turn out better than this.**

 **Love of Heaven song title belongs to TheCrazyRavenclaw.**


	17. Sweet Vacation

After a few weeks, the D-team did much better with the crystals.

During that time Rex managed to find the rest of the healing potion from Mary and used it to heal Max's broken arm. It still hurt a little, but it was better. Reese made the four promised communicators for the Sakura Group. Aki helped Cole to learn to use the sound crystal. Sabi introduced Niki to all the events and gave her the purple crystal she got from Cruz when she fought him for the first time. Sue was still trying to talk to Amy with the same results.

The three weeks weren't easy for the trio; Max and Zoe still had problems with controlling their crystals, but they did better and better.

The three owners and four guardians entered the D-lab after another training. They were talking about their vacation in Canada, which was getting very close. They planned it mostly because Dr. Owen was asked to visit an excavation site. His absence from North America was getting long, but he used that chance to invite the D-team and the Traveling Forces with him. Max, Cole, Spike, Aki, Rex, Alice, Justin, Kyra, Reese, Zoe, Sue, and their partners were excited to go alongside with him.

"I can't believe you guys are going on a vacation while we do your work," Sora complained.

"I am not happy about leaving privileges to you either, but somebody must have access here for the Sakura Group to be able to teleport in case of need," Reese told him, "and since you'll be without a job while we'll be gone-"

"Yeah, I get it. At least I'm your first choice to trust!" Sora grinned.

"Of course," Reese replied, "after everyone who leaves and everyone I don't know enough yet to trust."

He screeched with clear betrayal stabbing him, placing his hand on his chest as she walked past him. "Ouch... Harsh..."

They all entered the main room where Cole, Alice, Justin, and Sue were with their dinos.

Cole was standing in the middle of the room, laughing, wearing Justin's glasses. "So, do I look smart now?"

"Maybe," Alice admitted.

"Oh, hell no!" Sue snapped, grinning, "you still look like an idiot."

"Hey! I'm still a hot idiot!" Cole objected.

"Oh, please."

"Laugh all you want, Ice Queen, but I'm the one who gets almost every girl wrapped around my finger."

"Tch. I can have much more girls than you if I wanted." Sue smirked, resting her head on her hand, leaning on the desk.

"Cole, could you please give me back my glasses?" Justin demanded.

"Nope! I look great in them!" Cole laughed.

Alice and Sue walked over to him and hit him in the back, unlike Sue who used her hand, Alice smashed him with a book she usually draws in.

"Ugh-!"

"Some things will never change," Max laughed. They all finally acknowledged that others were in the room as well.

"You're right, Kid! I'll always be attractive."

Sue sighed in irritation. "That'll be a hell long vacation..."

"It'll be the best one!" Cole exclaimed.

"You bet," Sue responded, "I already have everything packed."

"Already?" Zoe wondered, "it's in two days."

"Hell yeah! I have nothing to do the whole day and you'll need me the evening before we take off to help you pack your stuff as always," her best friend reminded her. Zoe pouted at her. "Maybe..."

"Speaking about that, I do not think Alice and I will go," Justin said in slight grim.

"What do you mean?" Max asked him.

"Mom is still...skeptical...after what happened to Kyra. She will not let us go with _all_ of you..." Justin sighed.

Spike knew what he meant; Lucy still blames him. He noticed how sad both Justin and Alice are. "If that is the problem then I can stay home," he suggested.

"Moment, what? N-no, no, no. It is not a big deal," Justin replied, fluttered by such a sacrifice, "really, it is alright, is it not sister?" He looked at Alice. She nodded, glancing at Rex with a pitiful smile. He smiled back.

—

Meanwhile, at Komatsu household, Lucy was sitting outside, smoking. Nora, her older sister, who's now a permanent guest in the house, was beside her.

"You don't allow them to go?" Nora wondered, "you sound like Wada."

"Look, I don't wanna risk anything... I've already lost my husband, nephew and a good friend. Not to mention Kyra... I don't trust him anymore, I can't let them go," Lucy growled.

Nora sighed. "Spike's your best friend since you were kids. You should have a talk with him."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking for advice, thanks, sis."

"Stubborn as always. Everyone makes mistakes. Just look at me, I married Miharu and I paid for that mistake. You were right about him, he is a bastard. I can't believe he just beat me up."

Lucy stood up as her sister continued talking, threw the cigarette on the ground and walked inside. She passed a desk with a photo of her dead husband; he was smiling.

"What you're laughing at?" she asked annoyedly and fliped the photo to face the desk.

—

Later that day, Alice and Justin were talking in her room. Tashi and Karo were playing together.

"Sister, I know you want to go; I do as well, but mom said no."

Alice glared at her little brother. He gulped and jumped scaredly. "Coward."

"Then I apologize for following the rules, but mom said-"

Alice covered his mouth. "Justin, we're in that age when we should break those rules; mom said it herself, we should be...um...what's that word...? Um...Rebellious..."

Justin moved her hand from his mouth and frowned. "I do not think-"

"Try not to think for once."

"What? But that is the only thing I am good at!" he replied in a panicky voice.

"First of all, that isn't true and second of all, we're going to Canada with others."

"But-" She put her hand on his mouth again.

"We'll pack our stuff tomorrow and then the next day we'll get to the airport, leaving a note, so mom isn't too worried."

Justin's eyes were widened in horror; he'd never do anything so rebellious, not willingly.

"She did the same at our age, she'll understand."

"...I do not have a choice, do I...?"

Alice shook her head.

Justin only sighed in defeat.

—

They did as Alice said and two days later early in the morning they head to the airport to meet with everyone.

"We are here!" Justin called as they rushed to the others.

"You actually made it!" Max looked at them in surprise.

"Y...Ye..." Justin panted. Both he and Karo were exhausted by their run. They sat on the floor, trying to catch their breath.

Alice was panting a little as well. The only one of them who still had energy was Tashi, who was in Alice's jacket as always. She looked up at her partner curiously. Alice glared back at her.

"So, your mother let you come after all?" Foster wondered.

"A-actually-" Justin started, but then his phone rang. When he saw it was his mother calling, he, Karo and Alice hid behind others, shaking in fear.

"A-actually, we came here despite that we are not allowed," Justin explained, "and now...she is mad..."

"Oh, geez, finally, four-eyes," Sue chuckled.

While some were making fun of the situation, Aki tried to stay a little reasonable instead, empathizing with Lucy.

"She is probably just worried; someone should talk to her."

"No..." Justin squeaked scaredly.

Aki looked at her husband, the closest person to Lucy. Spike backed away, sweating. "No way!"

"C'mon, dad, how bad could it be?" Cole asked him.

"You have no idea..." He and Lucy are childhood friends and during those long years, he's seen her bad side several times; it isn't the nicest thing.

He carefully picked up the phone and answered.

"Um...Lucy...?"

Lucy recognized the voice. "Spike Kenryu Taylor, where are my kids?" she asked him with a reproaching tone.

Spike gulped. "At the airport, with the rest of us."

"They are-"

"Not allowed, I know. But I'm getting a sense of Deja Vu, don't you?"

"Urgh-Don't you dare bring that up. We were teenagers."

"So are they."

"Guess I can't convince them to stay home, but they won't get off that easily."

"So, you're actually letting them go with us?" Spike wondered.

Justin and Alice glanced at each other with high hopes.

"Yeah. But if anything happens to them-"

"I know. Bye for now."

"Bye."

Spike nodded at the Komatsus. They both cheered happily.

"I can't believe it was that easy," Zoe said.

"That's why I suppose it wouldn't hurt to punish both Justin and Alice," Reese suggested.

"Why?!" Justin sobbed.

"You ran away from home," she reminded him, "that was so irresponsible."

Justin lowered his head. Alice smiled a little at him and then pointed at herself.

Rex figured out what it meant. "It was your idea, wasn't it?"

Alice nodded, then she chuckled and shrugged.

Justin sighed. "I need some coffee..." he murmured.

—

In two hours, they all got on board of the plane, their partners hidden inside their cards. Immediately after setting foot there, Rex's face paler than usual. Only Aki and Reese knew why.

Reese was with him throughout the incident that caused his uneasy feeling inside the airplane.

Aki was the only one he told about it. At first, he didn't tell her directly; he only mentioned not liking extreme attractions at amusement parks, but then when he saw her understanding smile he told her about the frightening experience with flying. He scared her a bit by that, but then she shook her head, trying to stay calm. She still couldn't help herself and she hugged him tightly.

Back to the present, they all sat at their seats. Dr. Owen had the E6 seat, right at the window or that's at least where a window was supposed to be, however, the spaces between each window caused some of them being shifted from the seats, so instead of watching the landscape, he just stared at a wall between windows.

Spike was sitting next to him and Aki had the aisle seat. Right across the aisle were Rex, Zoe, and Max. Fortunately, Max, unlike Foster, had a window to look out of.

Right behind the trio (from the window seat) were Cole, Sue, and Alice and across the aisle sat Justin and Reese.

Sue groaned in the annoyance of being beside the rockstar.

"What? I haven't done anything yet!" Cole glared at her.

"Yet..." She smirked at him.

"Still better me than hyperactive Four-eyes there." Cole pointed his finger at Justin who was rapidly tapping his leg, mumbling nonsenses to himself, holding his hair in frustration tightly. "We told him not to drink so much coffee."

Alice nodded.

"Poor Little Genius... Hope she has hell nerves to stand him the whole flight." Sue grinned pitifully.

However, Reese wasn't bothered at all. Once she went inside the plane, she felt more relaxed than ever, even if she isn't the one in control this time.

The plane soon took off. That whole time Rex's face remained unnaturally pale; he grabbed the armrest tightly, trying to stay calm.

It didn't take long until others fell asleep. It was still early in the morning; they all had to wake up at 4 am to be there on time.

Rex still had the armrest in his grip; he didn't feel his hand anymore, it was so white at this point. When Max and Zoe were completely asleep, his body started to shake. He gulped, turning green a little.

All of that disappeared when he felt the warmth of another hand touching his. He shot his head to the left to see that soft understanding and lovely smile.

"It'll be over soon, sweetie," Aki told him. Rex smiled back and nodded.

Her concern alone made him feel better, but the motherly look in her eyes brought him to a few tears. He remembered _her_ again.

—

In several hours they got accommodated in two separated rooms.

In the girls' room, Alice dropped at a bed, face down.

"Is she asleep?" Zoe asked.

"No, no. I'm pretty sure she's dead," Sue murmured.

Meanwhile, in the boys' room, Justin was still stressing out.

—

A few hours later, the Sakura Group gathered at Shinoris. Sabi wanted to tell them about their new responsibility of traveling the world to stop the Akuno since the D-team and the Traveling Forces are on a vacation.

Dengyo, Shadow and Kenji were obviously there. Sabi, Star, and Dark led Ema, Ellen, Niki, Stegi, Andy and Aaron in the house.

Even after all this time, Andy was still unpleasant and moody. He refused to speak up at first.

"So, we have to do their job?" he asked a little aggressively. His attitude was so similar to Nicolas'. Unknown to them, those two are in the same situation.

But we know the connection between Andy and his best friend Nicolas. Their fathers were murdered.

Most of them have no idea about Komatsu's dead, but Andy's act was a big hint towards that. They knew about Andy's father; he's locked himself away from them.

Ema wasn't much better. Her best friend was gone... She acted more and more like Sue, refusing to obey any rules. Because of those rules, she didn't spend enough time with Micheal. Because of those rules, she was made powerless. Because of those rules, he's dead now or at least that's what runs through her mind; she could have been there and she could have done something to save him.

Zakuro and Sora welcomed the whole group in the house, asking them if they want anything.

Both Andy and Ema were swallowed by a grim, not responding at all.

"Andy, that is what you agreed on," Sabi reminded him.

"I didn't sign up for this suffering!" Andy snapped at her, "if we haven't added fuel to the fire, he'd still be alive!"

"Are you even listening to the nonsense you're saying?" Sabi asked him, "our actions had no effect on that. He was a guardian; he put himself in danger."

"You have no idea how this feels!"

"Your feelings are off-topic, you idiot-"

"Stop fighting!" Dark cried, grabbing Sabi's arm.

"Dark..." The girl's tears cooled Sabi's anger. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"You shouldn't fight..."

"Why do I get 'married couple vibes'?" Sora scratched his head. Zakuro glared at him. "You referring to something specific?" "Of course not, sweetie!"

Andy turned around and headed to the exit. Aaron looked at him confusedly, then he glanced at his dinosaur friends sadly.

"C'mon, Aaron," Andy ordered, but before the Coelophysis walked over to him, Sabi took his hand.

"Andy, I only want to help you," she whispered, "so, please...Stop whining like a little bi-" She stopped her insult to avoid such a word in front of Dark. "Get a hold of yourself! Everyone's lost someone in their lives; this isn't helping anything; this isn't helping you."

"Sabi..."

"He doesn't want you to give up..." Dark said. They all looked at her strangely.

"What are you talking about?" Andy asked her.

"Your father... I can see him by your side. I can see everyone who died around people close to them."

"You can see dead people?!" everyone gasped.

Dark nodded bashfully.

"The lady of my dreams has the sixth sense!" Kenji chuckled, "this is amazing!"

"...Hey, just give me some time, 'kay?" Andy demanded.

"As much as you need," Sabi told him, squeezing his hand, "just please, don't make me lose another friend." Andy looked at her, knowing that she means Nicolas.

They used to be friends, Andy, Nicolas, Niki, Sabi, but after Nick started to act like a jerk, all of that vanished. He treated Sabi the worst of them when it all started.

"How could I?" Andy wondered and left with Aaron.

Ema walked over to Dark. "Can you actually see dead people?"

Dark nodded slowly. "See them and hear them..."

"I see. Is Miharu here?" Ema asked the small girl.

"He is."

"Can he hear me?"

"Si, he can."

Ema took a deep breath, her hands shaking. "Hey, Miharu. I wish there was something I could have done for you. I'm sorry it took me so long to listen to you, but as you can see I did... You were right, my father can't control my life and I don't need any jewels. I took them all off and disobeyed him for you. I'm sorry..."

Dark watched her. The pain Ema was going through was unbearable. She rushed to her and hugged her.

"Huh?"

"He knows..." Dark sobbed. She saw a brunette boy standing behind Ema, smiling; his body was partly transparent. He then started to talk.

Dark repeated his words. "Wada, don't do anything stupid without me."

"Miharu...How can I? You've taken all the stupid with you."

 _"I love you, Wada..."_ Miharu murmured. Dark was about to repeat that, but Michael waved his arms around, letting her desperately know not to say that.

"Thank you, Dark..." Ema murmured.

—

After they had a little rest, the group headed to the excavation site. Max, Justin, Alice, and Aki stayed at the hotel.

Aki didn't mind staying back since it wasn't really her interest. Alice and Justin had it as a punishment at least for the first day. It was Max's punishment as well; he wasn't doing well at maths, so he was left back to study, avoiding bad grades the next year.

They were all in one room. Alice and Tashi were lying on the bed while Max and Justin were sitting at the table across each other with a laptop and a few books lying around and Aki was making them tea.

"This isn't fair," Max murmured as he was trying to solve a problem.

"It is not!" Justin agreed, a little bit of frustration in his voice, "this is not a suitable punishment for what sister and I have done. We should be hanging by our toes from the ceiling!"

"What...? Buddy, I think you should just stop freaking out."

"Huh? Um... Sorry. I cannot handle a situation like this one very well..."

"What situation?" Max wondered, "so, you disobeyed your mom. What about it? Cole and I do that every other day."

"You what?" Aki asked him as she sat cups with tea on the table.

"Nothing!" he chuckled and then looked at Justin, "I don't really mean the punishment being unfair. It's unfair that I'm not that smart..."

"It is," Justin agreed, "you are much stronger and braver, but not as smart. I'm the opposite. Sister is better at art, but not very good at social interactions. And then there are people like Reese who are just perfect in every single way."

"What...did you just say?" Max raised his eyebrows.

"Huh? Well, Reese is good at everything. She is smart, strong, beautiful, wise-"

Aki gasped, smiling cheekily; she knew that way of talk. "Somebody's got a crush!"

"What?! No way!" Justin jumped in surprise and fell off the chair.

Max stood up and leaned over the table to see Justin. "You have a crush on Reese?"

"No, I do not!" he yelled back, getting on the chair.

"Yeah, he does," Alice murmured in her sleep.

"Alright, maybe I do, but...there is nothing to be done about it. She is almost 11 years older..."

"Don't give up again," Max tried to encourage him, "just give it a try; ask her out."

Justin only looked up at him, thinking about his words.

"Or do something to impress her."

"Reese is not the easiest person to impress."

"Look, I think I have an idea."

—

"The hell's the big deal?" Sue wondered as she was on the way to the excavation site with the rest, "I've been disobeying since I was six. If my parents had enough money and Wada wasn't ashamed by it they'd already put bars on my window. Now they'll need to put them on cousin's window."

"How is Ema anyway?" Rex asked her.

"Better. But Micheal was her best friend... No wonder she's acting differently. Not sure how I'd react..." Sue glanced at Zoe for a while. "I don't even want to know..."

—

The next day, Max, Alice, and Justin joined them. The dinosaurs and Karo were wandering around. It wasn't their happy wandering; it seemed more respectful. No wonder, this is a graveyard for them.

Foster and Spike were meanwhile on the other side of the place with Foster's assistant Patrick.

"Urgh! So hot..." Cole groaned, leaning back in a chair under a build-up tent-like roof. He took off his jacket.

"Dunno what you're talking about. I'm fine with this." Sue grinned teasingly. She was pretty okay with the hot weather with long sleeves on. Alice didn't seem bothered by it either; she was still wearing her black jacket.

Max laid his head on the table, tired. "How...?" He glared at Sue.

"Yeah... I feel like I'm overheating..." Zoe murmured, leaning on Sue's shoulder. The brunette's face turned red at such closeness with her crush and started literally overheating. Zoe looked up at her best friend as she felt it. "Sue? Are you okay? I thought you said that you're okay with this."

"Huh?!" Sue glanced at her, chuckling. "Y-yeah, I'm fine...!"

"What are you guys complaining about?" Rex wondered.

"...Yeah, this is nothing for you..." Max mumbled, "you wore a jacket in a desert...!"

As they were talking Justin was trying to create a shadow to see the laptop screen. He took Cole's jacket and hid the laptop and himself under it; the screen was perfectly seen then.

Like I already mentioned, Alice was wearing her jacket, her head covered by a hoodie; not minding the weather. She was drawing the surroundings.

Rex looked over her shoulder to see what she's drawing; it was a picture of dinosaurs living at this place, a picture of Rex was on the other page. "That looks nice," he said.

She gasped and closed the book quickly, blushing.

"Did I say something wrong...?"

She shook her head rapidly, holding the cat ears on the hoodie. "No... T-thank you..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No! You did nothing wrong... You're perfect-I mean, I don't think it's perfect..."

"What you're saying?" He took her book and opened it; he smiled at the drawings. "You're so good at this. That's why you're the leader of the art club after all."

"Actually...I'm the leader only because I am the only member...Ema used to be the leader, but her father doesn't allow her to a part of it anymore."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're good at it."

Alice gazed into his blue eyes; she was lost in them, ignoring everything he said.

"Guys, I have been thinking," Justin spoke up and took the jacket that was making the shadow for the laptop, "we are missing only a few owners, am I correct?"

"I think so," Zoe confirmed.

"Same does not go for the guardians, however. From what we know, everyone with a stone plate is an owner and each of us has a guardian. According to the legend, which is absolutely ridiculous to believe it is true, there are 16 crystals in total, but 14 were possessed by Sikers Grey."

Justin typed something in the laptop and then turned it to the others. A drawing of the stone plates was on the screen. They formed two stones; the original one with Max's lightning, Ema's water, Sue's fire, Rex's wind, Zoe's grass, Niki's earth, and Alice's center one and the new one with Kyra's metal, Justin's moon, Sabi's stars, Cole's sound, Andy's sun and Dengyo's center one; one of them was missing. They've never actually seen or heard about the last plate.

"And there are 14 stone plates, assuming there are 7 new ones by their shape."

"So, we're missing one person," Rex deducted.

"And another one with those two additional crystals. We know about that boy Kenji being the owner of the light crystal, which means we are missing ice and darkness if we say that crystals of space and time are for the middle stone plates. We also know that there were 11 guardians and 8 of them are alive; Dr. Taylor is Max's guardian, Dr. Owen is Rex's, Reese is Zoe's, Mrs. Taylor is Cole's, mom is Kyra's, and agent Shinori is Kenji's; these are the alive guardians we know about."

"Yeah, but include the ones that went bye-bye too," Sue said.

"Right. Mr. Kato had to be Andrew's guardian."

"And Michael Miharu was cousin's for hell sure," she added, "but who the hell's the third one dead?"

"Following the 'close person' pattern, I might have an idea, but..." Justin said quietly, looking at his sister.

Alice frowned, knowing exactly who he's referring to. Rex knew as well since Alice told him everything about her regret.

"We should find the guardians and get the rest of the crystals; they can help us win against the Akuno if they actually contain such great power."

"You are absolutely correct, Justin," Reese told him.

"Am I?" Justin asked, blushing, "are you...impressed?"

"I must admit that I am," she said, her arms folded.

Justin's eyes filled with tears of happiness and a smile formed on his face.

"The hell...?" Sue titled her head, at first confused by Justin's look, but then she started to realize a similarity to her own expression at times. "Wait, four-eyes is cru-"

"Sh..." Max immediately shushed her, so she doesn't ruin his matchmaking. She shut up.

"Thank you..." Justin lowered his head with a bashful smile. Then he noticed the time in the corner of the laptop screen; it 12 o'clock already. He got up. "I have to go."

"Where?" the others asked him.

"I promised Mrs. Taylor to help her with cooking," Justin explained, "and I am not too bad at it." He closed his laptop and picked it up. He headed away, calling at Karo to follow him.

"Woah, a guy that can actually cook," Sue was amazed.

"Hey, I can cook too," Cole objected."

"Yeah, right." Sue rolled her eyes.

"Justin seems unusually confident, doesn't he?" Reese asked.

"Maybe he wants to get somebody's attention," Max hinted, chuckling.

Reese titled her head thoughtfully.

—

They came back home the next week, happy and rested. Justin forgot all about his mother's anger that was scaring him the first few days. That was until they left the airport.

Outside was standing a red-haired woman, smoking.

Everyone jumped in surprise, scared of her reproaching glare. That was just a little bit of her anger. The only one who stayed unfazed by Lucy's appearance was Reese. Everyone else hid behind her.

"Well, well, well, you're finally back," Lucy said and then coughed, "now then..."

The tone of her voice, her strict glare stressed Justin out. "Mom! Sister and I are so sorry," he cried.

Lucy sighed softly, her glare turning into a smile. She dropped the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. She headed to her children and hugged them tightly.

"I'm so proud of you two," she told them.

"What?" Alice and Justin's faces cringed.

"I've been waiting for you to finally rebel and be like other children your age."

"Are you not mad...?" Justin was surprised.

"Of course I am, but I've been worse than you at this, I can't blame you. I remembered how many times I've done this before. I'm glad you don't spend every day at home as you used to."

"Does this mean you are not going to punish us?" Justin wondered.

Lucy chuckled. "Of course I am."

"Oh..."

The siblings sighed; their punishment wasn't as bad as they expected, at least for Justin. They were supposed to make dinner. Lucy let them go off easily for the first time and very likely for the last time as well.

Justin promised himself not to disobey or listen to his sister's idea ever again. After all, Reese thinks he's irresponsible because of his sister and he can't allow that to continue.

—

 **So, that's it. It's a little filler chapter, but whatever. Important is that Andy and Ema have a way to deal with their grief, Lucy is getting over stuff that happened and that Justin's little secret is out.**

 **Btw, Lucy's behavior at the end is how my mom would react if I did that and Foster not having a window at the window seat is inspired by my own experience; I was so pissed when that happened.**


	18. Love Triangle

It was a quiet day in the D-lab until the door opened and a singing voice sounded through the main room. Kyra and Jessica the Corythosaurus entered the room. "I'm back! Nice and well."

Everyone in the room turned to the door.

Kyra immediately rushed to Reese, hugging her. "Ree!"

"Hi, Kyra," Reese said, unfazed by her friend's embrace.

"I'm glad to be back."

"Kyra, how are you?" Zoe asked.

"Amazing!" Kyra smiled brightly. "You're happy I'm here, right, Ree?" She nuzzled Reese, making the scientist uncomfortable.

Zoe only chuckled.

Sue was standing behind her, watching the scene. "The hell...?"

Kyra was about to kiss Reese on the cheek. The blonde cringed and quickly stood up; Kyra didn't let go off her.

"Alright, this is enough," Reese said, pushing Kyra slightly back to the door. They left the room.

Zoe gasped. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah...?"

"Reese and Kyra! They're a couple!"

"Wait, what...? Did we witness the same scene right now?"

"Kyra tried to kiss her! She's got a crush on Reese!"

"And you realized just now? It's so obvious that Kyra's a bi."

"You knew that?"

"Hell yeah. But I think you're overdramatizing it."

Zoe ignored her comment, fangirling over the situation. "Oh, maybe that's why Reese has never had a boyfriend."

"Girl, Reese isn't attracted to girls in any way."

"How do you know?"

"I know her and I have something called gaydar; people like me have that."

"People like you?" Zoe wondered.

Sue blushed and turned away. "Forget about it!"

"You mean..." Zoe bit her lip, a little scared to tell her what she knows. "You mean homosexuals?"

Sue jumped, gasping. "The hell? You figured out that about me, but not about Kyra. How...?"

"Because I heard what you said to Meena about me," Zoe explained.

Sue slowly turned to her, blushing. "This wasn't really how I planned to tell you..."

"I didn't mean to listen, but I was worried and your communicator was broken, so you couldn't hear me-"

"But you could hear us. Look, girl, everything I've said was hell true." Sue took her best friend's hand gently. "I care about you, that's why I didn't tell you. I know you aren't interested in me that way... I want you to be happy and I know that'd only be with a guy."

The taller girl approached her and cupped her cheeks. "Who knows, maybe you don't know me that well."

Sue pouted. "What the hell, girl? I was just about to give a long speech about my romantic sacrifice for you. Now you're just telling me that you don't like guys?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Well, it'd explain why you've never got together with Max or Rex." Zoe blushed. Sue took her hands. "I might have misunderstood, but if there's a girl you have feelings for, I doubt it's me. I don't want to force you into loving me or something like that...Let's just leave it to you knowing this and move on."

"Right, we can talk about this later. We have important stuff to do; Reese and Kyra!"

"What...? Were you even listening to me, girl?"

"If you were wrong about me, you could be wrong about Reese too! C'mon, she deserves someone to be with."

"I agree with that, but-" Sue had no chance of finishing; Zoe grabbed her hand and dragged her from the room.

—

"Do you think it is a good idea?" Justin with a lollipop in his mouth asked Max while he was in his friend's room.

"Definitely! You'll ask her tonight."

"...I am scared...She will say no."

"You never know until you try!" Max tried to encourage him.

Justin sighed. "I do not think she likes me that way."

"Even if she doesn't, she should know. Look, I'm not an expert on these things, but I know someone who can help."

"Your brother?"

"No way!" Max snapped, "that would be a catastrophe. Give me a sec." He left the room and soon came back with a book.

Justin blinked a few times, reading the title. "101 sure-fire ways to be popular with girls... even if you are a dinosaur geek who is always out hunting for fossils...You are kidding, right?"

"Nope! Hey, I just wanna help you to be more confident. If you can confess to Reese, you can do anything! Plus Rex doesn't need this book anyway."

"I suppose..."

—

"Kyra, please, at least try to control yourself," Reese told her friend.

"But, Ree-"

"Kyra, no."

"Okay..." Kyra looked sadly down. Reese turned around and headed back when the door opened and Zoe rushed out of the room, dragging Sue behind her. The scientist walked past them without a glance and the door closed.

Zoe sighed as that happened. Reese ignored her like before.

She then looked at Kyra.

"She's gorgeous," Kyra said with a cheeky smile on her face.

"And you couldn't figure out she's got a crush on Little Genius," Sue commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "girl, I really don't think you should. You know how it went the last time you put yourself in Reese's relationships."

"Just let me try," Zoe told her.

"That's it..." Sue sighed. "I'm outta here... I gotta do something else anyway." She smiled at her best friend. "Just don't screw up or piss Reese off, okay?"

"Okay."

"See ya, girl." Sue left with Annie.

Zoe then turned to Kyra. "Do you want to date my sister?"

"Huh?" Kyra blinked a few times, confused by the sudden question. "Absolutely!" she gasped.

"Alright, then. I'm gonna help you!"

"You are?" Kyra wondered.

Zoe nodded determinedly.

"Oh, Zo!" Kyra hugged her tightly. "Zo! You're amazing!"

—

Sue was walking down to the city to try talking to Amy again. She decided to call Meena and tell her about what is going on.

"Hey, girl, you won't believe what Zoe's just come up with."

"Another gossip?" Meena asked her.

"Yep! Zoe's about to get her sister Reese and Kyra together."

"Kyra Komatsu? Taken Down to Heaven lead singer."

"Yep!"

"She's-"

"She's bi. Yep. You haven't spent so long with her, so I'm not surprised that you don't know. But if Kyra's taken, Cole'll continue being single and free for you."

"Sue!"

The brunette chuckled. "Just kidding!"

"I know... Cole's just a celebrity crush; I'd never want to actually date him. There's someone else I have those feelings for..." Meena admitted.

"Who?"

"N-no one! It is not important-! Sorry, I have a French lesson. I have to go!" The call ended.

Sue sighed and grinned. "She knows I'd get that out of her. Come on, Annie." They started walking faster to get to the place at the right time.

—

"You sure you can get me and Ree together?" Kyra titled her head to the side, her finger on her chin.

"Definitely! I know Reese better than anyone else!"

"You do! Teach me!"

"Alright!" Zoe grinned, "she loves reading, technology, cake, daises."

Kyra was nodding, not really listening. She gasped and raised her hand. "I'll write her a song!"

"That is..." Zoe blinked a few times. "An amazing idea!" she cheered with sparkles in her eyes. Such a romantic thought like from a movie made her completely forget about her sister, the person this was all about.

—

In the afternoon, Rex was getting bored; both of his friends were busy the whole time. He rang the doorbell and waited with Ace for someone to open.

The Carnotaurus was becoming anxious because it just started raining; he still preferred to stay as dry as possible.

Soon the front door opened and a short brunette girl was standing inside. She jumped a few feet back when she saw Rex. "What...what are you doing here?"

"Max and Zoe are nowhere to be found, so I thought I could use that spare time to learn to draw better. I'd be glad if you could teach me."

Alice's face turned red. "You...you actually want to learn from...from me...?"

Rex nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Can I come in?"

"Huh?" Alice shook her head and noticed how Ace is uncomfortable; it was raining. "Y-yeah...! Sure!" They walked in and she closed the door.

"I wasn't expecting you to come here at all... I... C-come with me." She led them to her room where she had a painting stand with a clean paper prepared on it. She looked around for something they could draw. Then her eyes fell on Tashi and Ace.

"Do you think Ace can stay in one place for a few minutes?" she asked the blonde.

—

Sue and Annie were on their way back with another failed try to talk to Amy. When it started to rain they hid in a supermarket. Sue took off her glasses and dried them in her blue shirt, then put them on again. "Welp...Didn't go as planned. Guess we spend some time here until the weather gets better," she said, looking at Annie.

They started walking. They passed an arcade; Sue'd go there if she had somebody to play the games with. She sometimes goes there with Zoe to play a bug arcade game called Mushi King. It wasn't much, but the mechanics of beating your opponent in rock, paper, scissors to attack is so interesting. They both used it to practice their tactics in dinosaur battles; even the moves were very similar to some of their move cards.

She continued walking and her eyes fell on a small jewelry store. She gasped and rushed to it. She picked up two earrings, one of them was green and the other red. "I can't afford a tiny bit of these, but it would be hell amazing if Zoe and I had matching earrings. What ya think, Annie?" She looked down at her Daspletosaurus. Annie was already gone.

"Annie! Come back here!" She put the earrings down and ran after her partner. The dino stopped near a family; they had a pet with them as well. Sue stared at it. It was clearly a dinosaur.

A black-haired boy her age glanced at her. "Huh? Susan Ogata?"

"How the hell do you know me?!" she snapped, "wait... I know you... Am I hallucinating again?"

"I've never been a hallucination."

"You just disappeared when we first met," Sue reminded him.

"I'm Dengyo Shiraki."

"Sabina mentioned you. You're from the Sakura Group."

"Exactly."

Dengyo's half-brother noticed the girl he was talking to. He slid next to his brother and smirked mischievously. "Your girlfriend?"

"Shut up!" both Sue and Dengyo snapped at him.

"Then she's single?" Kenji grinned and turned to Sue, kissing her hand. "Kenji Shinori, your knight-"

"Fuck off, I'm a lesbian." Sue glared at him.

"Oh...Never mind..."

"Ken, I thought you have your eyes only for Dark," Sora told his son.

"Oh yeah? Just like you when you were his age," Zakuro pointed out sarcastically.

"Oh, hey, Susan!" Sora looked down.

"Hey."

Zakuro looked at the girl as well. "I knew life is full of surprises, but I'd never expected this coincidence. I've actually planned to find you and talk to you, Susan Ogata."

"Huh?" Sue frowned confusedly.

—

At the moment, Ace and Tashi were standing completely still in front of Rex and Alice who were trying to draw them.

Rex kept looking at Alice to figure out how to stand correctly, but he thought that wasn't the issue. His hand was shaking as he was drawing. What was just made on the paper didn't look a bit like Ace. The shapes were somewhat accurate, but not the sizes. Feet were bigger than the head and the body was strangely off. Angles were even worse. Rex frowned and sighed. "This is pointless."

The brunette walked over to him. "You're doing it wrong."

"I figured..."

She smiled. "Take a step back and then to your left." She grabbed his shoulders and led him to the right spot. "If you're drawing with a painting stand, you gotta have it on the side of the hand you're using. So, you can also see better at the object you're drawing. You need to stand back to be able to stretch your arm forward."

"Why?"

She took his hand with a pencil, closing one eye. "To measure the size. You hold the pencil so the end is in sync with one edge of the object and place your thumb to fit with the other one. Close one eye... There, perfect. Now, move that size on the paper." She slowly led his hand back to the paper. He made two lines in the distance he measured. "Great, now it should be better."

"Thanks." Rex started to draw thin lines. Alice was still holding his hand, helping him draw. "That's it!" she chuckled. They looked at each other and blushed.

"You're really talented and a great teacher," Rex complimented her.

Alice jumped back, her face turned red and she pulled the hoodie over her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

She sighed. "N-no... I'm sorry... I just... can't focus around you... When I'm around you I'm confident enough to talk again, but then you look at me and everything inside me gets tangled up and-!"

He smiled understandably. "I know that feeling."

She looked up at him.

"Her name was Zahrah." He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks red. "That's been the first time I've ever felt that way. I've done some stupid stuff just to protect her, just like you've protected me."

"Welp... I've got inspired by one silly and energetic woman," Alice chuckled, "I don't think I'd be able to do it without her."

"What woman?"

"If I tell you, you won't believe me."

"Try it."

"Okay...I think I can see the future and past in my dreams or I see some flashes during the day... The thing is that...That woman was your mother."

"You've seen-"

"Both of them. I'm sure they were great people since you are too. I wish I've met them."

"They'd like you, I know it," Rex told her.

"Really?"

"They had the same taste as me, so definitely."

"What?!" Alice's face was red again.

Rex only chuckled.

—

Zoe and Paris rushed to the Taylors when it started to rain. Aki went to open when she heard the doorbell. The girl and her dino ran inside all wet.

"Woah... I wasn't expecting it to rain so much..." Zoe panted.

"I'll make you hot chocolate," Aki offered.

"Thank you."

Aki went to the kitchen.

Zoe and Paris peeked in the living room. Max and Cole were sitting on the couch, playing with their dinosaurs.

"Hey, guys."

"Hi."

"Hey, princess." Cole grinned. Zoe glared at him.

Then she smiled. "I have amazing news. Reese might have a date tonight!"

"I know," Max told her.

"Really? You do?"

"Yeah. I helped."

"That's great! Reese is finally going to have someone for herself!" Zoe seemed so happy.

"Yeah. He was nervous about it, but I got him to be confident."

"He?"

Max nodded.

"Wait, who are you talking about?" Zoe asked him.

"Justin," Max replied.

"Kyra," Zoe added unsurely.

"You what?!" they both yelled at each other. Max jumped off the couch.

"Confessing to Reese is a challenge to make Justin more confident," he tried to explain.

"Kyra's got a crush on Reese and deserves to be with her," Zoe argued.

"Wait a sec... Kyra has a crush on Reese!" Cole cried, "you're telling that my ex-girlfriend is...That means that she's been flirting with other girls while we were dating and it meant something for her...? Agh!" He screamed into his hands defeatedly.

"Oh boy..."

—

"You're my guardian? Alright then." Sue shrugged when Zakuro explained everything to her.

"I know that the Akuno's getting stronger and you need to be prepared," Zakuro told her, "the fire crystal is one of the dangerous ones out there. You should be careful with it." She gave Sue a red crystal she pulled out of the pocket of her vest.

"So, stuff doesn't go to hell like with Grey," Sue guessed, examining the crystal.

"Exactly. If your emotions are out of control, you shouldn't hold the crystal."

"You think I'm hell dumb? You don't even know me."

"You're right; I don't. I've heard about you from other guardians and I know that power myself." Zakuro grinned. "You seem like a strong girl, but a little too rushed for your own good."

"I suppose..." Sue then turned to Dengyo. "Hey, bookworm. From what I've heard, you used to be with the Akuno. You think they'd use a sad, lonely girl?"

"They would, no doubt. Why do you ask?" he wondered.

"I screwed up. Never mind; I gotta go."

—

Reese was working on the computer in the D-lab when the door opened and Kyra walked in, singing.

"Was it love at first sight?

Or was it all in my mind?

When your beauty caught my eye

Is it too much if I ask you to be mine?"

The blonde looked at her confusedly. Kyra walked closer to her, dancing.

"Kyra, what are you-" Reese couldn't finish as Kyra grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. The teen's arms were wrapped around her; she had no idea what's going on. "...Doing...?" Reese slowly finished the sentence.

Kyra smiled at her brightly and placed her finger on Reese's lips. "I'm doing what needs to be done." She leaned in to kiss her friend, but Reese immediately pushed her back. "Okay, that's enough."

"But, Ree..."

Suddenly, the door opened again and Justin entered. His shoulder-length brown hair was brushed back, he was wearing a nice black shirt and holding a rose. He was prepared.

"Um...Reese? I would like to talk to you," he said.

The blonde sighed. "Not now, Justin, I have to deal with Kyra first."

"Huh?" He felt a stab in his heart.

"B-but...I m-must tell you something important!"

Reese then noticed how he looks. She glanced at Kyra and back at him. "I see. If you two think this is fun then it isn't."

"What?"

"I can clearly see that you're trying to 'flirt' with me, but I don't have mood or time for this."

"It is not like that!" Justin gasped, "I only wanted..." He shook his head sadly. He gave up on trying.

"I have a lot of work," Reese said, heading back to the computer.

Kyra peeked over her shoulder. "And what're you doing?" she wondered. Reese sighed in annoyance and replied, "I'd like to replicate the metal plate used for summoning dinosaurs."

"The ones Dr. Taylor and Cruz use...? Hm..." Kyra frowned thoughtfully. She clapped her hands. "I could help you!"

"How?"

Kyra pulled out her communicator, put two fingers to it and a light gray crystal came out of it. "With this!"

"You have your crystal..."

Kyra nodded with a smile on her face.

"Alright then." Reese actually appreciated this kind of help, since Kyra was helpful with the crystal.

While the two were working together, Justin was still standing at the door quietly. His head was hanging down sadly. He wasn't expecting this kind of rejection. He dropped the rose on the floor and left the room, crying.

It was still raining as the two girls were creating a metal plate. Kyra was making several samples of the metal move as they were melted around circuits Reese made. It was all done when a blue light shined outside.

They shot their heads up, looking out of the window, and saw a dinosaur with long spikes on its neck. "An Amargasaurus!"

It wasn't alone; a lake appeared with another long-necked creature swimming in it. "And a Futabasaurus."

Kyra grabbed Reese's hands. "No worries! I'll take care of it." She hurried outside, however, lightning flashed and a loud thunder sounded. Kyra froze in place. She screamed and covered her ears.

"Kyra!"

"No...no..." She fell to her knees, whining.

"Kyra! No, not again..." Reese went to her. "Kyra, it's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kyra was shaking her head rapidly. It happened again. As Lucy has mentioned, any reminder of that day sends Kyra into the insane state. There was a storm when her father was shot since then Kyra's afraid of thunder.

Reese rubbed her back soothingly. She needed someone with experience with this to help her. She looked to the door. "Justin-!" But nobody was there. Only the rose was lying on the floor. That was an issue. The dinosaur had to be kept on a leash until somebody comes and takes care of it. She'd just take Kyra's communicator and summon Jessica, but she can't leave her alone in this state.

"Kyra, we must go to fight. Are you able to come out with me?"

"M...maybe..."

Reese smiled softly and helped her stand up. Then there was another thunder. Kyra screamed and hugged the scientist tightly. Reese stroked her hair. "It'll be okay."

—

Justin looked back to the D-lab when he heard a dino roar. He bit his lip. He was about to turn around and just leave when he heard thunder and a scream.

He gasped. "Kyra!"

He rushed back to the lab. He was tired easily, but he still continued. He was soon so close to seeing the Amargasaurus and the Futabasaurus. They seemed to be fighting.

Justin noticed that Reese and Kyra just came out of the D-lab. The scientist was holding the rose he left. He felt flattered by such a small thing. Something inside him snapped; he wasn't thinking rationally.

"Dino slash! Be brave, Dimetrodon!"

He swiped Karo's card. When the Dimetrodon appeared and saw the battle, he looked at his partner confusedly. Justin nodded. "I know we are not the best fighters, Karo, but somebody should stop them. And..." He blushed. "Reese might like me if she sees me help..."

Karo whined like a kicked puppy. He didn't want to fight; he was too scared.

 _"I am not as strong, brave or smart as you..."_ Justin remembered his own words.

He watched the Amargasaurus being on a rampage. Kyra was shaking, but she still summoned Jessica.

"D-dino slash... Showtime, Corythosaurus...!"

Jessica charged towards the Amargasaurus, however, it was ready to strike back. It roared and smacked Jess with its tail. The Corythosaurus fell to the side, turning back into a card as usually with on hit, and the Amargasaurus turned to the girls. Before it came closer, it was hit by a hydro pump. The Futabasaurus was protecting them. He roared and swam towards them; the lake around him was moving with him. He titled his head, looking at Reese. She seemed familiar; he knew the color of those eyes and that smell.

"Stay away from them!" somebody yelled at him. Justin ran to them, shaking in exhaustion. He stopped, panting.

"Justin?"

"If...you...hurt...them...I will...will..." He was so tired he fell to his knees, still panting.

"Justin, I don't think he'd hurt us," Reese told him.

"How do you know?"

"He saved us and it's the Futabasaurus Zoe befriended."

Justin looked at Futaba, he titled his head more.

"I apologize..." Justin lowered his head.

Then they heard a roar. The Amargasaurus got up, heading at them. Futaba was recharging his cannon when he got smacked and knocked down, his neck hurt. Because of the hit, he misdirected the attack and accidentally targeted the girls.

However, Justin jumped in front of them, getting hit himself. In the end, he fell down, facing the ground. "Ow...My back..."

"Justin! Are you okay?" Reese knelt to him.

"I suppose..."

"...Ivi..." Kyra sobbed, shaking. "No...no..." The crystal in her started to glow. Reese noticed it.

"Kyra, don't!" She grabbed her hand when there was another thunder. Kyra screamed and the glowing stopped. "You can't use your crystal if you're like this."

The Amargasaurus approached them, ready to attack.

"...guess this is the end. Ree, I love you," Kyra whined.

The scientist glared at her. "And I'm not interested."

Justin looked up. "Reese, I wanted to tell you that I admire you!" he said, "you are my idol. I wanted to tell you how I feel about you because Max said it would make me more confident like you, just like I have promised."

"Justin..." She knew what he was talking about. It happened five years ago.

—

 _Justin was sitting in the rain, crying. He didn't wear his glasses yet. It was the day of his father's funeral and he just ran away._

 _A blond teen approached him, holding an umbrella. He looked up at her; it was the Little Genius, a very intelligent young girl. He's loved her and admired her for so long. She's a big celebrity for him and now he finally meets her._

 _She smiled at him; she was gorgeous._

—

"Jus..."

The Amargasaurus roared loudly.

But suddenly, Karo grabbed its tail, pulling it away from them.

"Karo! You came back!" Justin smiled. The Dimetrodon wagged his tail happily.

Justin got up. "Alright, let's deal with this!"

Karo nodded. He rammed into the Amargasaurus, trying to throw it away. He wasn't strong enough, but Fubata shot at it. The Amargasaurus was flipped to its side.

"Dino Swing!" Justin swiped a move card. Karo grabbed its tail again and started spinning with it around, then he tossed it away at trees, knocking them down.

Futaba roared softly; it almost seemed as he was smiling at them. He and the Amargasaurus turned into cards.

Kyra clenched onto Reese's arm; she was getting calmer. The storm moved far away. There could be heard only a few quiet thunders in the distance.

Picking up the cards, Reese turned to the siblings.

"Kyra, I appreciate your help with the metal plate, but I can't return your feelings..."

Kyra frowned. "I understand. I've never planned on doing what I did today, but Zoe came up to me and offered me her help."

Reese raised her eyebrow. "She what?"

"Never mind... We should head home before we catch a cold in the rain."

"Wait, I'd like to talk to Justin in private. Could you go ahead?"

"Sure, Ree!" Kyra headed away.

Justin looked at the scientist suspiciously. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It'll be better to talk inside," she suggested. He nodded, turning Karo into a card. They both went back inside.

"What is it then?"

"You surprised me today."

"I surprised myself as well..." Justin admitted.

"You were strong just like you've promised you'll be."

"I know I can never be like you... Look, everything I wanted to tell you today was that I have always admired you in every way. I would not call it love or a crush because I do not know those feelings yet. I only know that I want to be like you; I want to be a part of the D-lab just like you."

Reese smiled. "I saw enough today to know that you are worthy." She pulled a light yellow crystal out of her coat. "Justin, I used to be skeptical of your abilities, but today proved me wrong." She gave him the crystal.

"You are my guardian...?"

She nodded. "I know you're strong enough to control it. And I also have something else. Close your eyes."

He did as told, a little nervous. He heard the door open and footsteps fading. He gulped anxiously. Soon the footsteps came back.

"Open your eyes."

He opened his eyes to see Reese holding a white coat. She put it over him. "Welcome to the D-lab."

He gasped, his eyes filled with tears. "Are you serious...?"

"Absolutely. You should go home now."

He headed to the exit. He looked at her with a smile on her face before he left. "Thank you."

She smiled back, but it immediately vanished once the door closed behind Justin.

She went into the basement, entering a dark room with a multicolored crystal inside.

"Strange that you haven't sent anyone to get the cards, isn't it?" Reese said, "just as I thought, the cards aren't your goal, they're just a distraction from your real plans. Am I right, your majesty?"

—

Rex soon came back home, finding Max and Zoe still mad at each other. He sighed. "What happened this time?" he asked sitting on a couch between them.

"He/She ruined Reese's date with Kyra/Justin!" they both snapped.

"You two just can't mind your own business, can you?" he chuckled.

"We wanted to help!"

He hugged both of his best friends. "I've missed your arguments so much. I'm happy to be back with you."

They hugged him back.

"And how was your date with Alice?" Max asked him.

"How do you know?!"

"You aren't denying it was a date," he teased.

"Be quiet!"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Boys."

—

 **Woah, that took a while, but it was worth it, especially certain scenes! This was fine, though I'm really excited for the next chapter; I'm gonna make you suffer, guys!**


	19. Turn of Fate

Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.

—

It was a nice, warm evening. Zoe, Paris, Sue, and Annie were heading to Zoe's house at dinner.

"I told you not to get involved in other people's romances!" Sue grinned, referring to her friend's attempt to help Reese get a girlfriend.

"I know..." Zoe murmured. Her sister was pretty mad at her because of her love life, again. "Can't we talk about something else?"

"Alright, girl. Truth or dare?" Sue asked, her arms folded behind her head.

"Again?"

"You wanted to talk about something else, matchmaker."

Zoe pouted at that name. "Okay? Dare."

"I dare you to go to a nice dinner with me as a payback for the ones I have at your house."

"As a date?"

Sue blushed. "No...I'll invite Reese and your parents too!"

"I thought you don't have any money," Zoe reminded her.

"You've got a point there..." Sue realized and lowered her head, "I have a way of talking to Wada's cooks to do that for me."

"Threatening isn't exactly a way of talking."

Sue chuckled. "The hell it is!"

"Alright, my turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What is that important stuff you need to do so often? You've never told me anything about it."

Sue stopped. "You know...since I've talked to Meena, I've been trying to apologize to Amy."

"To Amy?"

"Yeah... I've been horrible to her. Especially when you weren't around, she got the worst of me, just like Meena. And honestly, you aren't better to her either."

"What are you talking about?"

"You ditched her because of Rex and you haven't seen her since then."

"Yeah, but I only thought that she's on a vacation or something," Zoe tried to explain, "nobody was answering the door."

"But I've seen a movement there. I think we drove her to the edge... I think I did that but no matter how many times I try, she doesn't even answer the door."

"Sue..." Zoe was surprised. "You've really changed." She smiled.

"Thank Meena for that." Sue grinned back.

That sweet moment between friends was interrupted by a dinosaur that appeared right behind them. They turned around.

"A Euoplocephalus?!" Sue gasped.

"Could that be..." Zoe recognized it immediately. The question was if it really is the same Euoplocephalus. "Hana?"

Sue and Paris glanced at her. "You mean _that_ Euoplocephalus? Hell no!" Sue heard about that dino and hoped that it is just a coincidence.

Zoe backed away. "No..." Her eyes widened, looking behind the dinosaur. Sue glanced there as well and her body froze, her face morphing into a horrified and regretful expression.

Behind the Euoplocephalus was standing a girl with short dark hair, amber eyes, her dark red and black coat covering more the right side of her body, a metal hexagon pinned to it, a choker around her throat and a mole on the left side of her lips.

"Amy...? Hell no... Girl, I fucked up really badly." Sue murmured.

The Euoplocephalus raised her tail.

Zoe noticed.

Hana swung down her tail at Sue.

Zoe jumped at her friend, knocking her away from the impact.

They lay on the ground on each other.

"The hell...?"

"You okay?" Zoe worried.

"I'm fine. Thanks, girl."

Zoe looked at the Euoplocephalus. "Why would she do that...?"

Annie growled at the dino. However, she didn't scare her; she was about to attack again. Paris' crest started making an unbearable sound to keep her away.

"Girl, look at her forehead."

Zoe tried, but the Euoplocephalus was too far now. She put on her goggles, zooming in to see it. "An Akuno chip..."

Sue nodded. "I'm afraid this is the worst-case scenario..."

"Not again..." Zoe shook her head as she took the goggles off her eyes.

"Girl, I've dreamed about you and me in this position for a while, but I don't think this is the best place..."

They both blushed and got up.

"Surprised?" a male voice sounded behind them. As they looked back, they saw Drack.

"You bastard!" Sue snapped.

"What have you done to her?!" Zoe yelled at him.

"I made her useful. She has a purpose now."

"You-"

A card appeared in his hand and activated. A Gojirasaurus formed between them.

"Shoot!" Sue turned back to Amy and her dino. Both friends were leaning on the other's back slightly.

Zoe noticed that the Gojirasaurus' eyes were dark; it brought back a horrifying memory. Paris had the same eyes when he summoned her.

"Girl, get out of here," Sue decided.

"What?!"

"Get out! I'll take care of this."

Zoe stared at her best friend as if she was crazy. "You can't!"

"That Gojirasaurus and Amy are my screwups; you have nothing to do with this!"

"No, I do," Zoe said softly and took Sue's hand, making her friend blush.

"Girl..."

"Can't leave you the hell alone, can I?"

Sue laughed. "That was a bad impression of me...But you're right. Together."

"Dino slash! Spring up, Parasaurolophus!/Burn them, Daspletosaurus!" They swiped at once.

"You don't wanna fight Amy, right?" Sue wondered.

"I don't think I'm able to..."

"Take that bastard down for what he's done to you, 'kay?"

"Sure!"

"Go!"

Paris charged towards the Gojirasaurus while Annie took care of Hana.

Zoe took her communicator and messaged the others that the dino signal was taken care of. "Looks like we'll be a little late for dinner," she told Sue.

"Aw man, I was so excited to eat some delicious food your mom cooked..." Sue pouted.

"Then we should deal with this fast to make it home in time. Metal Wing!" Zoe swiped her move card.

"I'm amazed to see you use that card after that...incident. Don't think I'm not prepared. Dino Illusion!" Another card Drack held started to glow.

The girls didn't know its effect until the Pteranodons hit the Gojirasaurus. They didn't. Their target turned into a log after the hit.

"What the-What happened?!" Zoe gasped.

The real Goji appeared next to Drack unharmed.

"How...?"

"Dino Illusion," Drack started, "a new wind move card. It creates an illusion that takes the damage instead."

"Shoot..." Zoe glared at him. "No fair..."

"Don't worry, it's only a once-per-battle move; just wanted to try it out. You aren't able to hit my dino anyway." Drack smirked as Goji was running around speedily.

Annie wasn't doing much better. She wasn't able to attack as Hana was attempting to hit her with her club tail.

"Stone, stop this!" Sue rushed a little closer to her. "This isn't you!"

"No...!" Amy sobbed, "you deserve to pay!"

Sue stopped, shocked not only by Amy's tone but also the fact that tears from her right eye were black.

"What the hell has that son of a bitch done to you...?"

"I've been hurt and now you should get hurt instead!"

"She's kinda creepy now...Stone! C'mon! Snap out, this isn't funny!"

"Shut up!" Amy yelled, putting a move card to the plate on her chest, "Quake Saber!" It glowed alongside with Hana's tail; a purple sword formed there. Hana swung her tail around, cutting a few trees and hitting Annie. The Daspletosaurus fell down.

"Damn it...!"

Sue backed away and accidentally bumped into Zoe's back. "Sorry to say that, girl, but we're fucked... That bastard brainwashed her."

"No way..." Zoe sighed. "He won't get away with that...!" She growled, her body shaking in anger.

"Um...girl? You okay?"

"Enough messing around!" She yelled at Drack. "Make him pay for what he did to Amy!"

Sue was surprised to see her so furious like she's about to murder.

The brunette frowned, looking away. This was her fault after all.

"'What I did to Amy'?" Drack repeated, "I only showed her who actually cares about her and who her friends are when you left her."

"No! That isn't true! We didn't-I didn't..." Zoe had troubles arguing against him, realizing...

"She wasn't good enough for you. You forgot about her. She was by herself when she needed her best friend the most."

He was right. She's turned Amy down several times and that must've broken her heart.

"Don't listen to him!" Sue snapped, "you aren't responsible for this! He brainwashed her!"

"But she let me," Drack said calmly.

"What...?"

"She needed support and that's what I was to her. She trusted me. You could get her back, but I'll need your crystals."

"You only used her to negotiate...?" Zoe asked. Disbelief sounded in her voice.

"You sound like you aren't the same. You threw her away as soon as she was useless to you."

"NO! I AM NOT LIKE YOU! I didn't throw her away! She's my friend!"

"Girl, stop!" Sue raised her voice, "this what he wants!"

"But-!"

"He tries to distract us," she said, taking Zoe's hand, "we'll take him and Goji down and save Amy."

Zoe looked into her friend's brown eyes behind the glasses; there were passion and determination burning in them. It was true; Sue has changed. She'd usually not even try to help someone.

Zoe nodded. "Pteranodons, keep Hana away from us!" They obeyed, flying to the Euoplocephalus, distracting her.

"Annie!" Sue turned to her dino. The Daspletosaurus hardly got up. "Oh no..."

Zoe swiped Nature's Blessing card to heal her.

Annie roared, full of energy again.

"Don't think it'll be that easy," Drack smirked. "Jet Shuriken." A card he pulled out of his pocket, it glowed and activated.

The Gojirasaurus sent a storm of shurikens at them.

"Nice try. Annie, Fire Cannon!" Sue slashed her card. Annie shot fireballs at the shurikens, destroying them. "Hell yeah!"

"Together!"

"Volcano Burst!"

"Emerald Garden!"

Paris shot a green ball at the Gojirasaurus while Annie spat fire on the ground and it traveled at the enemy.

The Gojirasaurus roared in agony, he burnt and his power was drained away. It turned into cards.

"Did it!" The girls high-fived each other.

Drack only growled; he lost after all.

Sue turned back to Amy and her dino to see Hana slices the Pteranodons; they returned to their card.

"Oh, crap... Stone! Snap out of it!"

"I'll make you pay!" Amy yelled, "attack!" Hana charged towards the girls.

"Amy, no!" Zoe screamed at her.

The smaller girl gasped when she heard that voice. "Hana, stop!" she ordered and the dino obeyed.

They all stared confusedly.

"Is she back to normal...?" Zoe wondered.

"I guess... Hey, you okay?" Sue asked Amy. That sharp voice triggered horrors once more. "Attack!" she cried, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You had to speak up..." Zoe glared at Sue.

"Sorry..."

Hana swiped the Quake Saber and Paris got hit. She changed into a card.

"Paris, no!" Zoe caught the falling card.

"She's pretty good with a sword. Fine then. Flare Sword!" Sue activated another card.

Fire gathered in Annie's jaws. She spat it out and it formed into a sword. Annie grabbed it into her mouth.

Hana attacked her but crossed her swords with hers.

"Hang in there, Annie!"

Drack still stood there, watching the battle.

Zoe noticed him and asked, "why are you still here?"

"I'd like to see how it turns out; not for the Akuno, just for myself."

"But why?"

"I used her. That doesn't mean I've never cared. There aren't many people who would stand me if you know what I mean. I know what you want to ask, 'how come the Euoplocephalus has a chip when you can simply summon it and it'll obey you?'. That only works for Mary and me. We can only teleport objects to us not create them and once she snaps out, she won't have any special abilities, just like that blonde."

Zoe ignored his talking and asked him another question. "What did you do to her?"

"Simple brainwashing connected to her emotions. Negative emotions make her more oblivious. It wasn't meant to end up like this, but her anger towards your friend is too strong."

"Her anger towards Sue...?" Zoe gasped when she put it all together. "Sue, stay back!" She rushed to the brunette. "Don't get too close to her."

"What the hell?" Sue frowned confusedly when Zoe hugged her, pulling her away.

"We're losing her because she's mad at you; let me do it!"

"Huh? No way! I gotta save her!"

"Don't play a hero now!"

Amy watched them fight. They were so close; her anger started to mix with sadness and jealousy. A fencing sword appeared in her hand; she was completely blinded by madness at this point. She charged at her two friends with the sword.

They saw her coming. Sue immediately pushed Zoe away to protect her and she dodged the sword in the last second. Amy made her back away into a tree. It seemed hopeless for Sue, but then she broke a stick off the tree and crossed it with Amy's sword. "Ha!"

"Oh, you've got be kidding me..." Zoe murmured.

Well, this wasn't the first time she's seen someone using a stick against a sword...

"I don't wanna fight you, Stone." Sue was fencing with the stick, making Amy back off.

"Die..." she sobbed.

Just like their partners, Annie and Hana were fencing together.

"Why are you like this? Snap out!" Sue said.

"This is all because of you!" Amy yelled.

Sue stopped. Amy used the chance, scratching her arm. Sue fell on her bottom, gazing up at the sword.

"You treated me like something disgusting! Lying to me, doing everything just to get rid off me. I was all alone and Drack was the only one who cared about me. You took everything from me...Once you're gone I can have everything back," Amy was crying, tears from her right eyes were still black, "do you have any idea of how I feel?! Watching you taking my only friend away from me?!"

"I actually do," Sue told her coldly.

"Huh?"

"I know how it feels. Watching my best friend, my only friend, lie to me, have fun without me, keep me away. I know it. I was jealous of Max and Rex; I felt betrayed. Zoe was happy without me, ignoring me for so long, just because of one stupid secret. I know I shouldn't have hurt you." Sue glanced at the dinos. "Annie... Stop fighting."

The Dasplestosaurus growled confusedly. Sue pressed a button on her communicator, turning Annie into a card.

"I am a horrible person...But I won't let either of my friends fight my own battles, not Paris, not Zoe, not Annie. And you shouldn't let Hana fight either; she has nothing to do with it. She's your friend, isn't she? You love her. I know you don't wanna listen to me... These last few weeks I've been trying to talk to you to tell you...I'm sorry, Amy, for everything. I really mean it."

Amy stared at her in disbelief.

"I'd tell you to kill me if it makes you happy; I deserve it, but the consequences of that would be worse for you. Hurt me, but don't hurt your friends. Don't let Hana suffer because of your own pain."

Amy's shaky hand slowly moved to the plate. As she touched it, the Euoplocephalus was called back into her card.

Sue sighed in relief, but then she noticed her arm twitch. Amy was about to attack again. Sue got up quickly and hugged her.

"Don't let that bastard control you. You have your own mind."

"Susan..."

"Just snap out. I'll even stay out of Zoe's life if it helps you and I mean it; I'm not a good liar. This is my fault and if that is the only way to fix it then I'll do it... You deserve better."

Amy started to cry and dropped the sword. "Did I hurt anyone...?"

"No, of course not," Sue tried to reassure her.

Amy pulled away, her tears were crystal clear again. "But you're bleeding..."

"That's nothing."

Zoe slowly approached them. "Amy?"

The smaller girl looked up at her, scared a little. "Zoe... I..."

"I'm sorry," they both said at once and looked surprised, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sue could only chuckle at how in sync those two are.

"I hurt all of you..." Amy sobbed, her cheeks turning red. She fell to her knees.

Zoe rushed to hug her. "I know you didn't mean to. I shouldn't have ditched you. We'll tell you everything, I promise."

Amy could only sob into her shoulder while Zoe waved at Sue to join them. Sue just shook her head, so Zoe grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hug.

They stayed like that for a while, but that sweet moment was interrupted by someone's stomach rumbling.

"Hell, can we go eat now?" Sue wondered.

"Yeah, but what about your arm? Zoe worried.

"It's still bleeding..." Amy pointed out.

"It's just a scratch. The hell can happen to me with that?"

Zoe frowned and grabbed the bandages she carries in the small bags on her belt; she treated her friend's wound.

"You're hell horrible at listening, you know that, girl?"

Zoe only chuckled. Then she looked at Amy. "Do you want to go to my house and have dinner with us?" she asked her.

"Can I?"

"Definitely!" When she finished treating Sue, Zoe took both of her friends' hands a dragged them with her.

They soon got to her house and went in. "We're home!" she called. She led them into the living room.

Her parents and sister peeked into the room from the kitchen. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing really..." Sue reassured them. But Amy started sobbing. Zoe sat her down on the couch, sitting beside her.

"It's okay." She rubbed her back, looking at the hexagon on her chest. She placed Hana's card to it, summoning the chibi Euoplocephalus. Hana looked around and immediately jumped on her friend's lap. Amy calmed down a little when she had her close. However, Hana started shaking her head, trying to scratch her forehead. Paris and Annie, who were also just summoned, looked at her curiously. Annie was about to bit the chip off Hana's head, but Paris stopped her.

"She still has the Akuno chip..."

"Another chip?" Reese stepped to them. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Zoe told her.

"I could easily get rid of the chip," Mike said.

Amy looked at Hana, nodding. The Euoplocephalus understood and went after the doctor; they left. Amy watched with a sad frown on her face.

Zoe took her hand. "It's going to be better once she doesn't have the chip," she reassured her.

"What is that chip anyway?" Amy asked.

"An Akuno chip," Reese answered, "it is used to control dinosaurs; if they disobey it sends electric shocks-"

"What...?" Amy gasped, sobbing more.

Zoe squeezed her hand. "Hana's going to be okay. My dad is going to take the chip off and everything will be alright, I promise."

Amy sighed.

Rosie walked over to them with a cup of tea, setting it on the table. "This should make you feel better," she told Amy and put a blanket over her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Thank you..."

Sue could only silently watch, standing behind the couch.

Amy sipped a little bit of the tea, warmth filling her body.

"Better?"

She nodded softly.

The others smiled happily.

Dr. Drake soon came back with Hana. The Euoplocephalus jumped on Amy's lap; she had a patch on her forehead.

"Thank you so much..." Amy murmured.

"See? Everything's alright now," Zoe said, "you and Hana are safe."

"What actually happened?" Reese asked again more urgently.

Amy looked away sadly.

Sue decided to speak up instead. "I seriously fucked up."

Everyone but Amy looked at her confusedly.

"Sorry for swearing like that in here but there's no other way to describe this hell situation. Drack somehow brainwashed Amy and made her and Hana fight against us."

Mike's hand trembled as he heard that name again. Of course, after discovering that he's killed the Ancients there was nothing that would surprise him, but he hoped he'd never hear that name again.

"But how is this your fault?" Rosie wondered.

"I suppose I'm the reason it happened... Right, Amy?"

"Yeah..." Amy nodded. "I felt so alone and Drack offered me his help..."

"You could have told me you feel alone," Zoe told her.

"No, I couldn't!" Amy shook her head. "You weren't there for me..."

"Amy..."

"Hey, cut that off!" Sue snapped at her, "it isn't true. Zoe can be stubborn, bossy and mean, but she would never hell be like that to you. I was the one pushing you away; Zoe tried to help you. Look, I know exactly how it felt, your only friend lying to you. I went through that 3 years ago. This whole dino thing was meant to be a secret. I was shoved away by my best friend, jealous of Max and Rex, alone... And I did the same to you. I wanted to show that I can be reliable and not tell this secret, but I was a bitch to you, to everyone... Zoe had to almost die for me to realize that and change. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you, Amy. I just didn't want to lose the best thing in my life." She glanced at Zoe. "But I guess you deserve her more than I do..."

Amy looked up at her.

"Hey, Stone, just look around you, look at everyone here," Sue told her, folding her arms.

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

Amy did as told, looking at the family.

"These people forgave a group that used to be their enemy and that kidnapped them with their whole house; they forgave two guys that hurt their daughter and a girl that got her almost killed. You don't have to be afraid; you've made a mistake and no one hates you for that."

She turned to Sue, seeing tears in her eyes, blush on her face. This side of her was new and pure...

"I wish we could start again," Amy admitted.

Sue smirked, a little surprised. She walked in front of the couch and reached her hand to Amy.

"Hey, I'm Susan Ogata. I heard you're Zoe's friend too and I thought that we could get to know each other a little if that's okay."

Everyone just stared at her.

Sue's arm started to twitch as there was no reaction from Amy for a while.

Then Amy stood up and took Sue's hand, making the brunette shocked. She held Sue's hand with both hands.

"We could," Amy said.

"Really...?"

She nodded.

Sue smiled brightly.

Zoe suddenly rushed to them and hugged them both. All three of them chuckled.

The others were just smiling.

"I'll head to finish making dinner," Rosie said and went in the kitchen.

"I should leave," Amy murmured.

"No way!" Zoe and Sue told her.

"We have enough even for you and Hana," Zoe reassured her, "and if not I'll give you mine."

Amy sweatdropped and chuckled.

"Don't laugh, girl; she'd do that," Sue joked, shaking her head slowly.

—

Meanwhile, Drack was walking through the dark corridors of the Akuno, heading to the prison. As he passed the cells a fear crawled on his back. He'll end up the same soon.

He stopped at the only cell with a person inside. That person was Mary.

"Hey there, sister. How are you?"

"Pretty fine actually," Mary chuckled, walking to the bars, throwing her ginger hair to the side, "nothing is lost; I am still beautiful."

"Drop the act, Mary," Drack told her.

Mary sighed and the illusion of her normal self full of energy vanished; her weak pale body was leaning on the bars, her long hair down and messy, her blue eyes blank. "What...do you want...? Laugh at me...?" she snapped weakly.

"Why would I laugh at this, little sister?" he wondered.

"Then...why are you...here...?"

"To tell you that you possibly won't be here alone; I've failed. That girl with a Daspletosaurus... Zepar is going to punish me soon, but who knows what the punishment's going to be; it might be worse."

"I wish you good luck..."

"Thank you, I'll need it."

—

They all finished eating and started talking. Mike and Rosie told them a story about how they met and fell in love.

"That is so romantic!" Zoe squealed.

Her sister nodded. "It is. I am surprised you managed to stay together for so long."

"Through good and bad, together." Their parents kissed and smiled at one another.

"So, you've fallen in love with your best friend; that's beautiful," Amy admitted.

"Hell yeah. I'm starting to see a pattern here~ Zoe and Reese have charmed their best friends to fall in love with them as well," Sue chuckled, but then immediately shut up and blushed. Her comment made everyone focus on her. Did she give away her feelings towards the youngest Drake just now?

She grinned nervously. "I mean, just look at Max and Rex or Kyra. They're definitely crushing on the two. I bet it's because of the eyes."

Reese rolled her eyes. "Do not remind me."

Amy looked at her confusedly. "Miss Reese? What happened?"

Zoe was about to answer instead of her sister to try to talk things around, but Reese was faster. "Somebody." She glanced at her little sister. "Put their nose into my love life and thought it'd be a good idea to get me together with Kyra."

Zoe chuckled quietly and nervously.

Amy turned to her. "Why? It is pretty obvious that miss Reese isn't interested in girls."

Sue smirked. "I told you~"

Zoe was trapped between glares of her two best friends, embarrassed, wishing to just be gone.

"Now, now; Zoe only wanted to help," Rosie said.

"She just doesn't do it the right way," Mike joined.

The pink-haired sighed.

"Hell yeah, she also doesn't really obey, right, girl?" Sue looked at her with a smug on her face.

"You'd be screwed without me," Zoe reminded her.

"I know." The memory on Zoe's help in a recent battle made Sue remember what she meant to ask. "Hey, Little Genius, is it okay if Amy keeps the dino card?"

"I don't see a problem," Reese replied calmly.

It was getting dark outside when Sue, Amy, and their dinos decided to leave. The family gathered at the door to say goodbye.

They heard footsteps heading their way. The footsteps stopped at everyone looked their way.

A boy with black eyes, hair, coat and jeans and a white shirt was standing there with a slight grim in his face.

"Drack?!" Amy gasped.

"The hell you bastard want here?!" Sue snapped at him, shielding Amy.

"I am not here to talk to you two," he replied.

The Drake family walked out of the house.

"Get out of here," Mike told him.

"That isn't really nice of you, is it, Mike," Drack said, not amused by the unwelcoming tone.

"Wait a minute... Dad, you know him?" Reese wondered.

"Unfortunately."

Drack smirked. "So, you haven't told them? Typical. You're just like _her_ , pretending that I've never existed in your lives."

Mike shook in anger. Rosie took his hand, trying to keep him calm.

"What are you talking about?" Zoe asked Drack.

Drack sighed and closed his eyes, his body was slowly aging up, showing his true form. "Something your daddy, _my son_ , forgot to mention." With those words Reese, Zoe, Amy, and Sue turned shocked, staring at him and then looking at Mike.

He was shaking more, so Rosie wrapped her arms around his arm, trying to soothe him.

"Because of this relation, you are my 'family'; that's why _this_ is my punishment for failing. I'm sorry, Mike."

A dark mist surrounded Drack; it disappeared after a while, revealing his young form, but this one was strange. The left half of his body, including his clothes, had inverted colors. That wasn't all; there were black gas-like tentacles, or whatever they were, coming from his back, 3 on each side.

If this wasn't enough to the confusion of everyone, a maniacal female laugh coming from his mouth had to be the nail in the coffin.

Drack quickly examined his body. **"It's been a while since the last time I've done this... Still a good feeling,"** a female voice said from his body.

"What the heck...?"

 **"Surprised? No wonder. I bet no one expected this, only Drack himself; he allowed me to take over his body because he's afraid of his queen, afraid of me."**

"His queen?"

"Zepar," Reese named the female voice.

 **"The grass and moon guardian; it's been a while. Ten years since we first met?"**

"Nine." The blonde swallowed uneasily, touching her throat. "Not a very pleasant meeting I must say."

Sue rolled her eyes; this was getting long for her. "Let's move this hell on," she growled, ready to turn Annie into a card.

Drack or rather now Zepar raised her hand, attempting to stop the brunette. **"Hold on, we wouldn't want to bring attention, would we?"**

"Shut the hell up!" Sue snapped.

 **"Using a dinosaur against a human-"** Zepar paused, looking at the body and the tentacles on her back, **"a humanoid creature seems kind of unfair, don't you think?"**

"The hell I don't!"

"Fighting won't help us," Amy whispered to her, "this only provokes her."

Sue decided to listen to one of three angels on her shoulder, not summoning Annie to the battle.

 **"Now them, this isn't the way I planned it, but Drack's already made some changes to it anyway. However, before I get rid of _some_ of you, I'd like to ask one of you a question. Well, I don't even need to ask; that one person surely knows what I need. I only need them to speak up-"**

Reese was losing her cool at Zepar's provocation. She drew the grass crystal from her jacket. "Enough."

But at that moment-

 **"I HAVEN'T FINISHED!"** Zepar yelled and a black spike came from the ground, impaling Reese.

"REESE!"

Her purple eyes widened; she groaned in pain.

 **"Do not interrupt the Goddess."**

The spike disappeared and Reese's body fell to the ground, dropping the crystal. She was wheezing, facing the cold ground. Her mouth was filling up with blood.

Her family rushed to her. Her parents put her in a recovery position, taking off her blue jacket, placing it on her wound, applying pressure to it. She groaned more.

Zoe only stood there, not sure what she should do to help. Then she noticed the crystal lying on the ground; she picked it up.

Zepar laughed.

Sue glared at her. "You bitch!" She was about to summon her dino, but somebody was faster.

Once Paris appeared, Zoe swiped a move card. The Parasaurolophus attacked Drack or Zepar with Emerald Garden.

"You're going to pay for this!" Zoe cried; the crystal in her hand started to glow, making the attack stronger. Some of the vines grew bigger and wrapped around Drack's body; they were slamming him around. The more Zoe cried the harder they slammed the body to the ground.

"She's lost it..." Sue murmured, "girl, stop!"

Amy ran to Zoe, hugging her. "That's enough...!"

"No!" Zoe struggled. "Because of them, Reese is...She is..."

"This doesn't help anything..." Amy wasn't strong enough to hold her, so Sue went to help her.

"I'm sorry, girl." She slapped Zoe, making her snap out. "This isn't what you should be doing right now!"

The attacks stopped.

Zoe glanced away. "Sorry..."

Suddenly, Paris was knocked down, returning into a card.

"Paris, no!"

 **"Not the exact punishment for Drack I wanted, but I hope this was at least a big enough warning for you to stay out of my way,"** Zepar said before disappearing.

As the chaos of the battle vanished, they quickly headed to the family.

"Reese, stay awake; the ambulance will be here soon," Mike was reassuring his daughter.

"Everything's going to be okay..." Rosie stroked her cheek soothingly, trying hard to hold her tears back.

"...mom...dad..."

"Hell..." Sue only sighed.

"I should have used Nature's Blessing instead of attacking," Zoe regretted, crying.

A slight weak smiled form on Reese's pale face. "...not your fault...sis..."

—

After the ambulance took Reese and her parents with her to the hospital, Sue and Amy led Zoe back inside, lying her in her bed.

"You need to rest," Amy told her.

"But-"

"No! Get down!" Sue pinned Zoe back on the bed. "Amy said that you need to rest."

"You don't have to be that harsh," Amy murmured.

"She does," Zoe admitted, "you're both right. Me worrying won't help anything. I'll take a nap if that's okay..."

Both of her friends nodded.

Zoe closed her eyes, falling asleep quickly.

Amy and Sue sat on the floor beside the bed.

"Pretty weird day, huh?" Sue threw her head back.

"Yeah..."

"Not the strangest thing that happened to us. Now it's important for us to protect Zoe." She glanced at Amy. "You love her too, right?"

"What?!"

Sue chuckled. "When I said that best friends are crushing on her, I meant you and me; it's hell obvious."

Amy blushed. "Really?"

"Hell yeah, but I won't fight over her; I'll be okay with whatever makes her happy. You look cute when you blush, you know that?" Sue smirked.

Amy blushed more and covered her face.

Sue could only chuckle. "Good fencing skills by the way."

"I actually never did fencing before. I used do kendo before I move into Sanjo."

"That's so cool!"

—

Meanwhile, Mike and Rosie were waiting quietly. There was quite a noise around them, but they both heard complete silence, hoping for the best.

Soon a black-haired doctor approached them. "Um...Mr. and Mrs. Drake?"

They both looked up to see that Wendy came to them.

"Okay, so, I have good and bad news. Reese is stabilized, resting in her room. All of her fatal organs were treated the best they could be, but..."

"But?" They both gasped.

"It's nothing that would endanger her life. But her womb has been severely damaged; there was nothing we could do. With current medicine, it cannot be healed; she'll never have her own children."

Both parents felt hurt by that information, but they were so relieved that their daughter is alive.

"Can we see her?" Rosie asked.

"Sure, but I must warn you; she doesn't take it well." Wendy led them to the room.

Reese was lying in the bed without her glasses, her hair messy and her hand placed on her wound.

"Reese..."

She looked to the door with a blank expression. Her parents walked over to her and Wendy left.

"How are you?" Rosie asked, but Reese stayed quiet.

Mike stroked her hair. "Whatever is bothering you, we'll help you through it," he reassured her.

However, Reese closed her eyes; she didn't want to talk, she wanted to be left alone.

They both sighed. It hurt so much to see their daughter so heartbroken and emotionless. She clearly denied her feelings.

This could have been avoided...

Mike's fist shook and he headed to the door.

Rosie turned to him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To find that bastard."

"And what do you plan to do once you find him? You can be the bravest man alive, but there's no way you can compare to his or her powers," she tried to talk some sense in her husband, but it didn't seem to work.

"I don't care," he replied, "nobody can hurt our girls like that."

"Yeah, Zoe definitely gets this from you..." Rosie sighed. "Do you seriously think you even stand a chance against them?" She went after him, stopping him. "Maybe you were a shogun for a while and you fought off all those Gel Jarks, but this is a whole new level. You've seen for yourself that not even the dinosaur attacks were enough to hurt them." She cupped his cheeks, looking into his eyes. "We've almost lost Zoe and Reese because of them, I couldn't bear to lose you..."

Her beautiful eyes started to fill up because of him...

"Rose..."

She leaned her forehead on his.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry...I just wanted to-"

"I know. I feel the same, but we're only humans; we can't do anything..."

—

 **And done!**

 **The important thing I wanna point out here is that my one-shot 'A Broken Wing' ties into this chapter with the story about how the Drakes met.**

 **Anyway, this is such a long chapter and I'm glad to end it like this.**


	20. Black Cosmos Stone

Several days later, Zepar called the remaining parts of the Akuno to the throne room.

 **"You're failures. If you'd be good for anything, I'd already had all of the ones I need in my hands. I'm getting tired of this."**

"But Your majesty-"

 **"Silence!"** Zepar interrupted Mary. **"You and Drack lost my opportunities to win! We could have used both of them; our plans worked, but you had to screw up! Not to mention that you, Cruz, gave the crystals to the enemy. You can't be serious. Do you think this is a joke?! No... You shouldn't mess with the Goddess."**

She glared at Drack and Mary. **"Go back in your cells before I take you there myself,"** she said hatefully. They shook fearfully and headed away.

Then she looked at Cruz. **"You get out of my sight. I don't want to see you, traitor, again."**

"I'd never expect to get off so easily," Cruz admitted.

 **"You aren't worth my time, believer."**

"As you wish then." He walked away.

The only one who stayed in the room with Zepar was Kami with a Cosmos Stone around her neck.

 **"It's all up to you. There is only one dinosaur left if I'm correct. We'll use it as bait. I need you to use both of your dinosaurs and the Cosmos Stone; the stronger you'll be, the more of them will have to come and help them, revealing all the owners, their abilities and their dinosaurs to us."**

"Will do, your majesty."

—

Reese was sitting on her bed back at home; she was released from the hospital just yesterday.

She wasn't wearing a shirt as she was applying an ointment to the wound on her belly and then to the one on her back. It still hurt so much, but the sudden cold made it a little better, however, it did nothing for her mental wounds. She's never shown any big desire to have children, but finding out that even the chance of it was taken away made her so desperate; she couldn't explain the feeling.

She put on her shirt when somebody knocked on the door. She went to open to see her mother smiling at her.

"Do you feel any better?" she asked her.

Reese didn't reply, not a shake or nod of her head, nothing. She was still silent.

"Are you going down to eat?"

Reese nodded a little, blinking slightly.

Rosie sighed in relief, smiling. "Okay. We'll wait for you." She left the room.

Reese turned away from the door, unsure if she really should go.

As Rosie walked down the stairs, she heard Zoe, Sue, and Amy talking in the living room.

"Truth or dare?" Sue asked Amy.

"Um...Dare?"

"Alright, girl! I dare you to kiss Zoe's cheek." Sue grinned.

Amy's face turned red. "What...?"

"Scared? If you don't want to then I'll do it."

"Sue!" Zoe glared at the brunette.

"What? Wouldn't be the first girl that kissed you," Sue reminded her.

Zoe pouted.

Amy looked at Sue, blinking.

"Don't look at me like that; it wasn't me."

"Girls, come eat," the Drakes called them.

The three got up and headed to the dining room.

"Zoe, could you go upstairs and bring Reese here, please?" Rosie asked her.

"Sure!" Zoe nodded and rushed upstairs. Before she went to her sister's room, she headed to hers and grabbed a green scarf. Then she knocked on the door.

Reese opened the door, irritated by Zoe's smile.

"It's time to eat!"

The blonde could only groan, starting to close the door. She told her mother that she'll come only to make her leave; she didn't have a mood for anything.

Zoe stepped in the doorway, stopping the door. "I won't leave until you come with me."

Reese rolled her eyes; she knows how stubborn and determined her little sister can be.

"I know you're sad and it hurts, but... I wanna help you even if I can't do much. This won't change anything, but it might make you feel a little better." Zoe gave her the scarf. "It's your scarf you gave me when I was little."

Her sister had her eyes locked only at the scarf she was holding. Zoe saw her chance; she took Reese's hand and pulled her downstairs. The moment of surprise helped her against Reese's strength, however, that wasn't the only thing; Reese didn't even try. She was weak and found a resistance pointless.

Zoe dragged her in the dining room. Reese had a blank stare against the welcoming looks; she was pale, her hair messy. The last time they saw her like that was when Zoe was in the hospital.

Reese overlooked herself, her health, completely throughout those several days.

Both sisters sat down and they all started eating, however, they were interrupted by the beeping of the communicators. Zoe and Sue looked at them.

"A dinosaur!"

"In Europe?"

They got up.

"Amy, you coming?" Sue asked.

The small girl nodded and stood up.

"Sis?" Zoe looked at Reese. The blonde shook her head. "...Justin should be in the lab..."

"...Reese..."

Sue took Zoe's hand. "We should hurry."

"Right. Sorry about this."

"It's alright, you have a work to do," Mike told his daughter.

The girls and their dinos rushed to the D-lab.

Reese sighed.

Rosie smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear you speak again."

The blonde looked down, poking the food with a fork.

"It's not the end of the world," Mike tried to cheer her up.

"There's nothing that could heal me...I have no hope."

"There's always hope, Reese."

The blonde only lowered her head.

—

At the same time, Max and Cole also got the signal.

They headed outside with Spike, but when they opened the front door, a female with bloody red hair scared them.

"Hey."

"Lucy?"

"Mrs. Komatsu?"

"Can I talk to you, Spike?" Lucy asked.

Spike stared at her in surprise. "Um..."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of that dinosaur," Max told him.

"Yeah! We'll ride my scooter there," Cole agreed.

Spike nodded. "Okay, go ahead."

The brothers left.

"Come in."

"Thanks." Lucy entered and headed in the living room.

"Oh, hi, Lucy!"

"Hey, Aki." The redhead sat down on the couch.

Spike sat on the other one. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for being so angry with you."

—

The D-Team and the Traveling Forces weren't the only ones who caught the dinosaur signal.

 **"It's time, princess,"** Zepar told Kami.

Kami nodded.

—

The Taylor brothers rushed in the D-lab where Justin, Alice, Rex, Kyra, Zoe, Amy, and Sue already were.

"Where is the dinosaur?" Max asked.

"Venice," Justin replied, typing something on the computer; a map of Italy appeared on the big screen.

"You mean the place literally filled with water?" Cole said sarcastically, crossing his arms on his chest.

"What is it, rockstar? Can't swim?" Sue teased him.

"Sure I can, but you're gonna be pretty useless with your fire attribute."

"I can fight even in the water; I'm just that good." She shrugged.

"There's a different issue with that," Rex said quietly, looking at Ace.

"You two can stay here," Alice told him.

"That might be better this time." He nodded. "I'll leave my spot to Amy for today." He smiled.

Amy blushed. "Is that okay?"

Rex nodded. "Go; I'll be here if you need help."

The rest of them except for Justin walked on the platform and teleported to Italy.

Ace lowered his head sadly.

"Don't worry, Ace. It's okay," Rex reassured his partner, rubbing his head. Ace hissed happily.

—

A light lit up in the middle of a Venice street and they arrived at the place.

"Alright, now where to look?" Max wondered, scratching the back on his head.

"I guess that depends on the dinosaur," Zoe said.

Alice nodded.

"Yeah, if it's a water dino we won't be able to find it," Sue groaned, contacting the D-lab. "Hey, Four-eyes, any idea about the dino's exact coordinates?"

"No... The water is 5 to 50 meters or 16.5 to 164 feet deep; it will not be easy for you if it hides there," Justin replied from the communicator.

"You could try luring it," Rex suggested.

"How the hell do we do that?!"

"I don't know."

Sue frowned angrily, ending the call.

"So, what do we do now?" Amy questioned.

Cole's eyes fell on a gondola floating on the water near them. "I know!" He jumped in it. "Get in, losers, we're going shopping!"

"I thought we're looking for a dinosaur..." Kyra titled her head.

"You hell know how to ride a boat, right, Rockstar?" Sue glared at the brunet.

"No clue, but how hard could it be?" Cole grinned, "it's the easiest way to get around this city."

"He's right," Amy agreed.

"Whatever."

They all got in the gondola and they sailed on. Cole and Kyra were singing to recreate the famous rides.

—

Meanwhile, an Achelousaurus got out of the water after taking a quick bath. She walked on a street, shaking off the water.

People were running away from her, scared, trying to find a hiding spot.

She only laid down in a shadow, attempting to fall asleep.

There was only one person who walked over to the Achelousaurus. Kami Ike, the princess of darkness, stopped near her. She had a long brown cape with the black cosmos stone attached to it around her neck, dark gloves with a hexagon plate on the left one, an orange long-sleeved T-shirt and a purple skirt with a belt.

"Anything for you, my queen," she said in a monotone voice and placed a water card to the plate.

A Spinosaurus appeared from blue light.

"Find and distract the D-Team while we take care of this Achelousaurus," she ordered him.

The Spinosaurus obeyed, heading away.

Kami turned to the Achelousaurus, activating another dinosaur card. A purple light glowed up around.

—

Spike chuckled softly. "It's not like you to say sorry."

"I shouldn't have blamed you for what happened," Lucy murmured, "it would never happen if Kyra was okay." She covered her face with her palms. "I thought I'm doing what's best for her... I gave her everything, but that did more damage than intended. She's like that because of me...Because I thought I could take care of her myself. I can't blame you for my own mistake..." Her face started to get red like her hair. Spike and Aki could hear her sobbing.

"Lucy..."

"I've already lost enough... I can't lose even my best friend, not like this." Lucy looked at her childhood friend with tears in her greenish eyes.

"Lucy, I'm sorry. I had a chance to stop Kyra sooner and I didn't; you had the right to be mad at me," Spike apologized, lowering his head, "but just as you said, I don't want to lose my best friend. We know each other for more than 40 years, we can't just throw such friendship out of the window, can we?"

The redhead chuckled, glancing at him. "You're horrible, Kenryu."

Spike looked at her when she called him by his real name.

"How did you even manage to charm someone like Aki? Don't you know you should never mention women's real age?" Lucy teased him, grinning.

He smiled back. "So, you're still 35?"

"34," she replied with sarcastic anger in her voice.

They both laughed together.

As he said, they know each other for more than 40 years. They're friends ever since they were kids.

Lucy and her family just moved from the US to Japan when she met a boy of her age named Kenryu. They got in trouble together and became friends. As they got older he started crushing on the blonde with a red lock of hair. They even became a couple at one point and they stayed great friends even after their break up, supporting one another no matter what.

—

As Cole was rowing, he and Kyra were singing to recreate the famous rides.

The chibi dinosaurs were looking at the water, watching their reflections.

Zoe sighed at the lovely sight as they rode past the streets. "This is so nice. I wish Rex could see it too."

"Yeah, me too," Max agreed, blushing as his eyes fell on her.

Alice frowned, doodling in a book sadly. Everyone else had a partner at such a romantic ride while she was all alone. She understood why Rex stays back home, but she wished so much to be with him. She made a sketch of herself and Rex in the boat, holding hands.

Her sketch was almost done when she heard Tashi growl. She looked at her partner. The Pachycephalosaurus attempted to get off the boat and rush after something she wanted.

Alice picked her up, cuddling her so she doesn't fall in the water. Then she noticed a big shadow swimming beneath the gondola. "Huh?" She watched it flow to the other side. "Um...guys?"

Whatever was in the water, its spine bumped into the boat, making it shake.

Despite sitting, Amy lost balance and fell on Sue.

"You okay, girl?" the brunette asked her, her arms wrapped around in a reflex.

Amy looked up at her, blushing. "I'm fine... But what was that?"

Max leaned out of the boat, looking in the water. "I think we found our dino," as soon as he said that a Spinosaurus emerged from the water, roaring.

All 7 of them stared at him in shock.

Max fell on his back.

Zoe hugged Paris.

Sue squeezed Amy tightly.

Cole took Kyra's hand.

The Spinosaurus flipped the boat over. They all fell in the water, attempting to stay on the surface.

Alice looked around to get some orientation and noticed her book floating to the Spinosaurus. "No!" She swam to reach her hard work. She had to get her doodles back, however, they were already destroyed by the water.

"Ally, stay away from it!" Kyra yelled at her scaredly.

"The hell is that?" Sue snapped.

"Could that be another Spinosaurus?" Zoe wondered.

"No, I bet it's Spiny," Max said, "alright, let's stop him before he hurts Alice, Chomp. Dino slash! Go, Triceratops, roar!"

The Triceratops landed in the water, creating huge waves that carried the others away.

Cole grabbed the edge on the street and crawled from the water. He reached his hand to help the rest get out.

When Alice was pulled out, she got on her knees, clenching onto her sketchbook, sobbing softly.

"Ally..." Kyra hugged her little sister. "Don't cry!" she sobbed as well.

The brunette with paint spots noticed her dino heading away. "Tashi!" She got up and rushed after her.

"Ally!" Kyra followed her.

Then Spiny bit Chomp's horn and threw him at a building.

"Chomp!"

"He needs our help, Paris. Dino slash! Spring up, Parasaurolophus!"

—

Justin and Rex turned on the TV on the big screen in the D-lab; there was a news report on the News King about dinosaurs in Venice. The dinosaur that fought against the Achelousaurus caught their attention.

"A Saichania?" Justin wondered.

"Could that be...?" Rex stared at the screen, recognizing the dino. He's never realized they might face up against the Alpha Gang dinosaurs again. What made him more concern was that he knew who owns that Saichania now from the times he was a part of the Akuno. "Tank..."

He knelt down to Ace. "You're thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked the Carnotaurus. Ace hissed. "I don't think they're able to defeat her; Zepar wouldn't send her if she didn't have a reason." Rex got up. "Justin, Ace and I'll go help the others."

"Are you sure?" Justin turned on the chair.

The blond boy looked at the screen. "I know what the owner of the Saichania is capable of and that she has more than one dinosaur. Even if the others would find her, I don't think they stand a chance," Rex explained.

"Right, you know her. Let me know if you need help and I will call the Sakura Group," Justin told him as he prepared the teleport.

"Thanks." Rex nodded. "Let's go, Ace!" He and Ace went on the platform and teleported away.

—

They formed on the street of Venice near the battlefield. They saw the pink-haired teen commanding the Saichania.

"Kamila!" Rex yelled at her.

The girl turned to him, her usually bright emerald eyes were blank and dark, however, her innocently rosy cheeks made her look unsettling with such a brainwashed appearance. "I have the orders from my queen and you can't stop me."

"Don't let Zepar speak through you. I know you have your own mind...Please, _Laura_."

Her eyes widened as she heard that name, _her real name_.

If it wasn't for the black jewel with a red glow she'd stop, but unlike Rex, Sabi or Amy, she couldn't respond. Zepar's will is being transferred into her through the cosmos stone.

"Laura! Listen to your own mind!"

"I'm only princess Kami for you," Kami or apparently Laura said monotonously and pointed at him, "Tank, take care of him before taking down that Achelousaurus."

The Saichania turned from the battle and charged at Rex and Ace.

"Guess we don't have a choice. Dino slash! Carnotaurus, blow them away!"

Ace stopped Tank, sparing with her.

The Saichania was about to hit Ace with her club tail, however, the Achelousaurus attacked her.

As the dinosaurs fought, a little Pachycephalosaurus bit Kami's cape, pulling it. She turned around, swinging with the cape, tossing the chibi dino away. The Pachycephalosaurus growled as she got back up; she desperately wanted whatever this girl had and then she saw it, the black jewel around Kami's neck.

"Tashi?" Rex noticed the dinosaur and figured that its owner must be close and he was right; Alice, Kyra, and Jessica rushed to the battlefield.

Tashi was about to get to the stone again, but Alice picked her up, holding her tightly. The Pachycephalosaurus struggled.

"She wants the cosmos stone," Rex explained, "the dinosaurs of certain types are attracted to the cosmos stones; the secret dinosaurs seem to react to the black one."

"There are still cosmos stones...?"

" _She_ has it," the blondie said and both sisters finally paid attention to the Akuno member.

Kyra gasped; the girl they were fighting against was her former best friend. "Kami? Kami Ike...?"

The pink-haired glared at her, pretending she doesn't recognize her.

She drew a move card from the stack on her belt and placed it to her glove. "Earthquake." When she did so, Tank got on her back legs and stomped on the ground, creating a huge gap in it. Ace fell in and the ground slammed him between.

"Ace, no!"

The Carnotaurus turned back into a card. Rex rushed for the card as Kyra and Alice summoned their dinosaurs.

"Dino slash! Showtime, Corythosaurus/Lights on, Pachycephalosaurus!"

Jessica and Tashi joined the battle.

Rex knew they can't make it alone and he called Justin. "Hey, Justin. I think we'll need the Sakura Group here."

"Is it that bad...? Alright, I am on it!"

—

The rest wasn't doing much better; Spiny used Hydro Cutter, hitting not only Chomp and Paris but also a building behind them. The dinos fell to the ground and the building started to collapse; screams of terror were coming out of it.

"Dino slash! Burn them, Daspletosaurus/Let's rock, Euoplocephalus!"

"Annie, Hana, hold the building!" Sue told their dinosaurs.

The Daspletosaurus and Euoplocephalus rushed to the building, pushing it to its original place.

There was a girl in one of the top windows.

"Someone's still inside!" Amy noticed.

"Rockstar! Can you take care of that?" Sue asked Cole.

"Sure!" He nodded. "Dino slash! Let them hear you, Compsognathus!"

All five of his dinos appeared. "Compy Squad, check through that building if there isn't anyone else. Speed Boost!" He swiped a move card and the Compies ran inside the building.

Cole looked up at the girl; she was crying and panicking, calling for help.

"Princess!" Cole turned to Zoe. "I'll need a boost."

The pink-haired nodded and summoned the Pteranodons.

The guitarist climbed on one of them and flew to the window. "Hey, lady!" Cole winked at the girl. "Your savior's here."

Sue growled in annoyance. "Can you hell stop being full of yourself for five seconds?!"

Cole grinned and rolled his eyes. He reached his hand to the girl. She glanced at the Pteranodon skeptically.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you; promise."

She took his hand, shaking a little, and he pulled her to him. They headed down and got off. "Go find a place to hide."

The girl nodded and ran away.

Soon, the Compies came back, confirming that the building is empty.

Meanwhile, Chomp and Paris attacked Spiny again. They knocked him down, but before Max nor Zoe swiped their move cards he got back up and he used a Shockwave attack. Turning both the Triceratops and the Parasaurolophus back into their cards.

"He's so strong..."

"Yeah, but he got exhausted," Sue tried to cheer her best friend up, "we'll take care of things now."

Annie and Hana let the empty building fall.

Spiny used one of his moves. He attempted to slice the two dinosaurs, hitting another building.

"The hell's that move?"

"Water Sword..."

Sue smirked. "So, a sword move, huh? Amy, let's do this together."

"Together?"

"It's a water move," the brunette told Amy, taking her hand, "fire attacks would be useless without your and Hana's help."

Amy blushed and nodded.

They were about to activate Flare Sword and Quake Saber, however, Spiny changed into a blue beam, returning into a card. The card flew away; everyone realized that the Spinosaurus wasn't wild. Somebody had to send him to attack.

—

At that time, Sabi, Andy, Ema, Niki, Dark, and Kenji arrived at the D-lab, getting informed about the situation.

"Venice? You should have called us right away," Ema said, "I have the water crystal after all."

"The others were here sooner," Justin explained, "before they went there there was not a reason to call you. However, Rex and I then watched the news and he noticed a new Akuno member with a Saichania."

Then the door opened and Dengyo and a tall pale boy entered. "Her name is Kami Ike," the boy said.

The Sakura Group looked at them and recognized the boy; it was Cruz.

"What do you want here?" Sabi snapped at him immediately.

"I'm not looking for problems," Cruz told her.

"Then why are you here?!"

"Kon, he isn't our enemy anymore," Dengyo attempted to explain, "just like me, he used to be a part of the Akuno, but their bad ways disgusted us."

"Zepar threw me out because I helped you."

"Zepar?" Andy wondered.

"Helped us? How?!" Ema growled, sounding a lot like her cousin.

"He gave you the crystals..." Dark remembered. "...he refused to fight us to get them back. He only acted on Zepar's orders."

Cruz glanced at the girl with a proud smile on his face.

Sabi stepped between them.

"Who is this Zepar?" Justin asked.

"The queen of darkness from the Greyholt legend," Kenji said.

"And the queen of the Akuno," Dengyo added, "she is the reason all of this is happening."

"She is the cause of Drack, Mary and Kami's craziness. She influenced them; you can't blame them for what they've done," Cruz started.

"We'll get to forgiving later..." Ema folded her arms offensively.

"So, then, why were you part of it?" Niki questioned.

"To run away from my life."

Sabi's eyes fell in Cruz for a sec.

"Kamila saved us and I owe her life of a person I love; I know what she's capable of; I know her better than anyone. You have a chance against her if you have me."

As the group looked at each other skeptically, Dark held her head; some memories started to come back to her, memories of Cruz. When she looked at him again, she saw a flashback of a nine-year-old boy towering over her.

 _"Come on, Hermana, we'll be safe there."_

"...we should trust him," Dark decided.

"I don't see why," Sabi still refused to trust him.

"Because this is wasting our time," Justin told them, standing up, "my sisters and friends need your help; from what Rex told me and what I saw during these several minutes I know she is stronger and that they do not stand a chance against her. I want them to come back safe and Karo and I are not strong enough. It is risky, but he knows her, so, I trust him."

"Wow, since when you've become a leader?" Andy asked his neighbor, "you've really grown confidence, buddy."

"Well, anyway, he's right," Niki agreed, "we can't just argue here when the others need us."

Ema rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's go." She and the others headed on the platform.

Justin, Dark, and Dengyo stayed behind.

Kenji, who like Dark didn't have a dinosaur, went with them.

"We'll be here as a backup," Den said, "and-" He noticed his half-brother. "Ken, where are you going?!"

"This is a huge dino battle!" Kenji replied, taking his camera, "you really think I wouldn't record this?"

Den sighed in irritation. "Just make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"Roger that!" Andy saluted before they teleported away.

—

Lucy was sitting on a bench in the backyard, smoking.

Spike sat next to her. "Since when do you smoke so much?"

"I started to smoke a pack per day five years ago."

"Is it because of...you know?"

"Because of my husband's death? Yeah..." Lucy murmured.

"You know it's killing you."

"I do; that's why I do it. Smoking brings me closer to death and closer to him."

"Lucy, what are you saying?" Spike shook his head.

"I can't take my own life because I still have children to take care of; smoking is going to do it for me one day and-" Lucy's talking was interrupted by her uncontrollable coughing.

"Lucy!"

"...I...I'm...fine...!"

However, she wasn't.

The scarlet-head dropped the burning cigarette and fell to her knees off the bench, still coughing.

Spike held her tightly. "Lucy..."

She soon stopped coughing. She looked at him with a slight smile. "...I know you wouldn't be able to...live without Aki either..."

He looked away—he wouldn't be—she was right.

"I'm fine... Really." She noticed that he's frowning. "Is it wrong that I want to be with the one I love?"

"...of course not..."

Suddenly, they both smelled something burning and saw smoke coming out of the grass. They jumped up. Lucy stomped on the burning cigarette, putting it out.

—

"Sakura Group to the rescue!" Andy cheered once he and his friends teleported to Italy; they were right at the place of the battle.

Ken gasped and rushed to the dinosaurs, recording everything with his camera. Niki and Ema grabbed his striped shirt, keeping him in one place.

"Hey, don't forget that we're here to fight," Ema reminded him.

"But I wanna fight too!" the blue-haired complained.

"You can archive our victory," Sabi told him.

"Right, let's win, team!" Ema said.

"Dino slash! Spikes on, Stegosaurus/Shine, Dilophosaurus/ Let's show them, Coelophysis/Splash, Ampelosaurus!"

The four dinosaurs charged into the battle to help Jessica and Tashi.

Tashi was more focused on getting the cosmos stone Kami had, ignoring the battle.

Cruz walked over to Kami slowly.

"Cruz?" Rex watched him in disbelief.

"Kamila, remember yourself. Fight against Zepar. Please, remember who you are," Cruz said, holding his cross necklace, "don't dance with the devil."

"Try all you want, but I have my orders. I will not let the queen down."

"Then I guess it's time to exorcise you." Cruz's black eyes were locked on Kami. "I'll save you, Kamila... Allosaurus, rescue this sinner!" He summoned River. The Allosaurus roared at the princess of darkness; she looked totally unfazed by it.

Tashi charged at Kami once again, however, the girl disappeared in smoke as all Akuno members tend to teleport. She materialized a few meters away. Tashi walked over to her again, looking at the cosmos stone.

Kami smirked. "I know what you want."

Meanwhile, Aaron the Coelophysis and Star the Dilophosaurus took care of the Achelousaurus. Ellen the Ampelosaurus and Stegi the Stegosaurus were attacking the Saichania. Those two combined their moves with Jessica and defeated their enemy. The same goes for Aaron and Star.

Everyone celebrated the victory when the D-Team and the Traveling Forces got to the place thanks to noses of their dinos.

They were distracted and that was Kami's perfect opportunity. She took the cosmos stone—the gloves she was wearing prevented any negative reaction with her body—and she reached the Pachycephalosaurus with it. Tashi couldn't resist the stone's power that attracted her this whole time. Her small blue eyes were fixed on the black stone for a while now, getting hypnotized by that energy. The Pachycephalosaurus swallowed the black cosmos stone and the chaos began...

—

The rest in the D-lab watched the news, seeing the rampage Kami Ike just started.

The Pachycephalosaurus had a black aura around her, filled with the power she couldn't hold. The light that was on her head the very first time the D-Team fought her three years ago lit up. How?

"What is happening?" Dark wondered, her body shaking unsettlingly fear. She made a few steps away from the screen.

"She swallowed the black cosmos stone," Dengyo explained, "I've already seen it. And before you ask, I was sent by Zepar to spy on the D-Team when I used to be with the Akuno."

Justin got up from a chair and started pacing across the room, his hand folded on his back. "From what we know, the cosmos stones wake an unlimited power." He curled his finger around his chin. "Combining it with Tashi's secret type could possibly make her invincible." He stopped and as he began to name all influences on Tashi he counted them with his fingers. "As we can see, it somehow brought that light which symbolizes her power boost from Dr. Z's experiments back; this has possibly been suppressed by whatever the Akuno has done to her and now it has found its way back to the surface. We must help them."

Justin was about to head on the platform when Den's words stopped him.

"Call your brother here."

"H...him...? Why him...?" Justin's voice was shaking. This guy just demanded him to contact the person that's been tormenting him and ask him to help them. "He will not help... Why out of all people...him?" The brunet turned back, his eyes shiny because of the tears that started to form in them.

Dengyo pulled a stone plate and a Cryolophosaurus card with a cyan ice symbol on them. "Because he is an owner as well. I apologize, Justin, but as you said, they need help."

Justin could only stare at him in disbelief and slowly shake his head.

—

"Alice, watch out!" Rex jumped in front of the raging Pachycephalosaurus, grabbing Alice and knocking her down. Brunette's communicator hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" the blondie worried.

She looked up at him and half-screamed. "Urgh...Ah...!" Her answer did everything but calmed his down.

"Alice?!"

Her face was so red and hot. Even in a situation like this, she couldn't help herself; her crush is hugging her tightly to shield her after all. She stared into those dreamy blue eyes.

Tashi's roar was what snapped her out.

"...I...I'm fine...I guess..."

"What do you mean?"

Max and Zoe ran to them. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Rex got up and helped Alice to stand up. The brunette watched her dinosaur attacking everything around her. "Tashi..."

"The cosmos stone made her go bizarre. Alice, you gotta retrieve Tashi before she hurts someone," Zoe told her.

Alice gasped softly and picked her dark-red communicator up. However, it didn't respond to any button pressing. She even tried to open it to get the stone plate out. "It doesn't work..."

"What?!"

"This is the worst timing!" Max complained angrily, "Chomp and Paris are too tired from the last battle; we can't use them."

Rex sighed. "Ace was also defeated."

"Then leave it to us!" Andy grinned and swiped a new move. "Galli Rush!"

Similarly to Metal Wing or Futaba Super Cannon, this card summoned a red Gallimimus.

Sabi activated a card with the same effect. "Struthio Rush!" A yellow Struthiomimus appeared and with the Gallimimus charged at Tashi.

The Pachycephalosaurus headbutted Galli and smacked Struthio with her tail, defeating them immediately.

Annie, Hana and the Compy Squad joined the battle and alongside the rest to the dinosaurs attacked Tashi. All their attempts were useless; Tashi's Laser Ray move managed to defeat every single one of them.

Cruz once again walked over to Kami in an attempt to talk to her. "You didn't have to start this."

"You know I did... I don't want to disappoint her because I am aware of the consequences," Kami explained.

"You can leave them."

"I'd love to, but...I don't have a home to go to...It's all gone...And I've already tried and the people I loved paid for that."

"I can protect you. You've protected me this whole time, so it's only fair if I-"

"No..." Kami shook her head.

The Pachycephalosaurus roared loudly. There was no one to stop her or maybe...?

Alice rushed to her partner, calling for her. It caught Tashi's attention.

"Tashi, you have to fight it! Don't let the past haunt you!" The Pachycephalosaurus growled at her. "Your father hurt you, but that pain shouldn't make you hide what you really are. That cosmos stone isn't as strong as you are!"

"Alice, get back!"

"I can't lose anyone else to the Akuno, Rex..." Alice whispered.

Tashi approached her, ready to attack when suddenly snowflake-like arrows hit her.

Alice's brown greenish eyes widened and she looked back. There were obviously Dengyo, Shadow, Justin, and Karo, but also a Cryolophosaurus with her mirror right next to it.

Nicolas...

Was this a dream? Or another one of her visions caused by the time crystal inside her?

"Ria, I hope you won't lose to this stupid dino," he told the Cryolophosaurus before she, Shadow and Karo attacked Tashi.

Karo headbutted Tashi to distract her. Meanwhile, Shadow the Lufengosaurus used his move called Dark Fury and Ria the Cryolophosaurus used Blizzard Smash.

She spat blizzard at Tashi's feet, freezing her to the ground.

Shadow stomped on the ground, making it shake. He charged at Tashi, lifting her with his long neck, tossing her in the air.

The Pachycephalosaurus hit the ground, returning into her card. The card and the black cosmos stone fell down.

"Tashi...!" Alice rushed to pick her dinosaur's card, however, Kami took it. The brunette stopped before her. "Tashi..."

Kami had her emerald eyes fixed on her.

"Hey! Give her Tashi back or Karo will...um...attack!" Justin yelled at the princess unsurely, his knees shaking slightly.

Nicolas rolled his eyes. "Wow, I'd feel threatened if I heard that squeaky voice."

"Kami, why?" Kyra asked, "we used to be best friends. I know you would never hurt anyone as the Akuno does. I know!"

"Lau-I mean, Kami, we can fight against Zepar together; you don't have to serve her," Rex tried to convince her.

Cruz glanced at Kami. "And you claim that you do not have a family?"

The Akuno member looked down at Spiny's and Tank's cards she got back during the battle. Her hand shook and a tear ran down her cheek.

She reached her hand with Tashi's card to Alice.

The short girl looked up at her confusedly.

"She's your friend, isn't she?"

Alice took the card.

Kami grabbed the black cosmos stone; her gloves protected her from any effects of the stone.

—

Everyone came back to the D-lab.

Dark, who stayed there by herself, ran to them and hugged Sabi. The brunette hugged her back. "Don't worry, Dark, we're all okay."

They got off the platform. Nicolas bumped into Alice on the way, making her lose balance. Rex grabbed her, so she doesn't fall.

"What is your problem?" he asked Nicolas.

"My problem?" Nicolas turned to the blond. "Her," he replied with a 'duh' tone.

"Hey, who hurt you that much?" Max's fist shook in anger at the bully.

Nick's answer remained the same. "Her."

The D-Team glared at him.

Niki clapped her hands. "Well, Nick helped us today, so it doesn't matter, does it? We're a team now!"

"No way!" Nicolas snapped at her, "I did this because this bookworm insisted." He tossed his head to Dengyo. "He said something about me being some kind of owner and my destiny or whatever. This was a one-time thing; if I could I'd let my sister be eaten."

"Shut the hell up!" Sue yelled at him and grabbed a collar of his gray shirt, "you don't have to like Alice or anyone of us, but don't treat her like shit!"

"I don't treat her like that; she actually is."

"Damn bastard!" She punched him in the face, which alarmed everyone else. Amy and Zoe pulled Sue away and Niki and Andy stepped in front of Nicolas to protect him.

"Chill out," Andy said.

"How the hell can I chill out when this bastard insults my friend?!" Sue struggled to get from her girls' grips.

"Since when do _you_ care about your 'friends'?" Nicolas clicked his tongue. "I've heard what happened to your so-called friend. Stone tried to kill you for being such a 'good friend' you claim to be."

A reminder of what she did to Amy only added fuel to the fire, which he welcomed.

Zoe and Amy couldn't hold Sue anymore, so Cole stopped her instead since he was much stronger than them. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up as she was waving her limbs around, screaming every curse word she knew.

Sabi covered Dark's ears to protect her innocence.

Nicolas smirked.

Alice was impressed by Sue's attempt to defend her as a friend; she'd never do that before. However, the art club leader couldn't let her friends fight her battle. Alice walked over to her twin.

She opened her mouth to thank him for his help, but he started questioning. "What do you want? Hate me?"

Alice froze once she heard those words.

He noticed and took advantage. "Lost for words? Or are you going to tell me you hate me and get me killed just like it happened to dad?"

Kyra gasped and started shaking. Justin tried to keep her calm.

Everyone in the lab was invested in this family drama. Nobody dared to step in; nobody but Rex.

He stood between the twins, shielding Alice. "It wasn't her fault."

"What do you know about it?"

"Enough. And even more than you."

Nicolas folded his arms. "So, she told you. Are you sure she told you the truth about how she caused everything bad that happened to our family? Out of nowhere, she told our father hates him and not long after that he died; it damaged all of us. And the worst part is that she knew about it before it even happened and she said nothing to stop him because she hated him so much."

Kyra covered her ears, keeping bad memories from getting in her head and turning her insane again.

"It wasn't like that," Rex objected, being the only one who knew the truth alongside Alice. "I know how much it hurts to lose someone, but blaming yourself or someone else for it makes it all worse."

"I don't need your advice." Nicolas turned around and left.

Rex looked at Alice; she was pale and quiet. Everyone stared at her; they needed an explanation, but she couldn't speak up, not in front of so many people. Alice hid her face in her dark hoodie. Rex rubbed her back soothingly and decided to explain everything to the others for her, including the time crystal, Mary and her love spell she cast on Alice's father.

"He cheated on mom..." Kyra repeated when she heard Rex say that. "So, Ally had all right to say those words..."

"Either way, can you blame a nine-year-old child for impulsively saying such a thing?" Justin wondered.

"Which means that Nicolas is just an idiot." Cole shrugged.

"And you guys wonder why he's so aggressive towards you?" Andy spoke up, "you treat him like the worst person ever when he only misses his dad."

"We all lost someone and you don't see us bully our siblings," Ema growled.

"He only tries to find a sense of that event. I know how it feels."

"Andy, why do you keep defending him?" Sabi asked the boy.

"Because he's my friend."

"Well, shoving Nick away won't help him," Niki tried to explain, "he needs someone to constantly help him be good. People can't get better if the whole world-"

"If the whole world is a bitch to them," Sue finished for the blonde. She noticed a certain similarity between her and Nicolas; though, she hated even thought of a comparison of those two. "Niki's got a point there."

"Indeed," Cruz agreed.

Sabi glared at him. "Why are you still here?"

Even the D-Team understood what the blonde meant. Despite it being sort of a different situation, it was comparable to Rex or Kami.

—

Nicolas locked himself in his room, sighing. He was all alone now. Well, not exactly. He remembered what Den gave him. He pulled out his stone plate and card, swiping the card.

A small Cryolophosaurus appeared and examined the boy in front of her. It was the second human that ever gave her orders. She nuzzled his leg.

A frown on Nicolas' face vanished. Such a nice gesture made him smile again after a long time. He stroked Ria's head gently, smiling at her.

—

 **This is so long!**

 **Anyway, Nick finally got his stone plate and Kami is left by herself with Zepar. We'll get to know more about Cruz and Sabi's relationship in the next chapter, which also applies to Lucy and her smoking.**

 **We have only one chapter to go and we'll reach the climax.**


	21. And This Is How It Was

**Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

The year 1910...

This year is widely known across Sanjo due to its impact on the city's history. Back then, the city or a town at that time was called Greyholt, founded by Sikers Grey.

This name should sound familiar to you. And if not, just sit back and listen.

Sikers Grey, the founder and the mayor of Greyholt, was a pretty normal man at a first glance; he loved his wife, Ronwe, he loved his daughter, Harc; the only strange thing anyone could pinpoint at the first sight about the blond man was his missing left arm.

However, he and his family were known for owning an incredible power of gods. 14 magical crystal...Each one with a different attribute.

He got them from his wife, a very mysterious woman. Nobody knew about her origins; she appeared out of nowhere. Some said that Ronwe was cursed and gods rejected her, that's why she apparently cannot touch the crystals.

Going back to the year 1910, Harc, a 22-year-old girl, spent most of her time outside with her boyfriend and his sister.

Those two came in the town 8 years ago, claiming to be travelers. They seemed strange like they weren't from her time. The two strangers were only children without a place to go. Harc offered them help, so they stayed with her and her family. The older sibling and Harc fell in love as they grew up. He adored her raven hair and British racing green eyes she had after her father.

His sister was 6 years younger than them, she was with them nearly all the time. Harc and her boyfriend were really in love. They even considered getting married for a year now.

That day, all three of them were about to leave to have fun in the town. Harc's mother, Ronwe, greeted them. She had curly raven black hair Harc inherited. She's just a normal adult woman or that's at least what she seems to be until you look into her eyes.

Her irises were red like demon's, which also added to the rumors I mentioned earlier.

She was cooking when they left, not realizing what is about to happen.

Meanwhile, Sikers was showing off the power of the fire crystal not that far away from his own house. His ego grew as people applauded him, but that quickly changed.

The place filled with screams of terror; it wasn't the first time he made a show with the magical crystals, however, this time he went over the edge. He couldn't control the power of gods that was given to him. Even one crystal would be too much to handle for a simple and especially greedy and egoistic human.

The fire spread immediately to the house where Ronwe was. Sikers tried everything he could to prevent any harm from happening to her, but it didn't work.

Harc wasn't far away; she heard her mother screaming in pain. She wanted to rush inside, but her boyfriend stopped her, wrapping his arms around her. He knew running into the fire now would only result in her death as well.

Ronwe had no chance of surviving...

Alongside the house, even several other houses were burnt.

Sikers was desperate. Despite the almost unlimited power of the crystals, they couldn't bring her back. He decided to find a sorcerer, a woman that is supposedly experienced with dark magic, a woman his wife warned him about, a woman she knew very well.

Some called her a witch, some called her a she-devil, but she referred to herself as Zepar the queen of darkness.

Everything went well for Sikers at first, however, then she asked him for something he wasn't expecting. She wanted the crystals. Such a power that gave him so much fame and glory would be now taken away from him.

These cursed items made him lose what he loved the most, but he couldn't just give them away. Ronwe told him not to give the crystals to anyone, especially her.

He refused, but Zepar came up with a different offer. She asked for his daughter. No...It wasn't a question, it was an order.

She wanted Harc. The so-called queen didn't state her reason, but it was obvious she wasn't messing around.

He shockingly agreed. Coming back home with the news, he was met with nothing but anger. While Harc and her boyfriend couldn't believe he'd do such a thing, the youngest one of them offered herself for her friend.

Her brother didn't want to allow her, but she insisted; she wanted to protect them all and make them happy with Ronwe again.

She went to the place Sikers described during the night to meet up with this devil. And from that moment, she's been only known by the name Kami Ike.

Of course, her brother did everything to find her, but he couldn't; the darkness was a hard place to search. One day, he didn't come back. However, he wasn't met with the same fate as his little sister.

On that day, Harc waited for him with the best news in a long while, but the door's never opened. She missed his messy coal hair, his dark but shiny eyes, his lovely smile and his soft voice telling her how much he loves her...

—

The year 2010...

It was a nice day in Luminary—a town near Sanjo—when it was finally finished.

A young man, 22 years old, with messy smoky black hair and just as black eyes with pretty shiny sparks in them was sitting on the ground, finishing building up a computer and a monitor. It took him a while to get all the required components. He booted it up.

"It works!" he called as the screen lit up.

A couple of adults looked over his shoulders.

"We can actually call Sanjo now?" the woman wondered.

"We should...but what are we going to tell them?"

"The truth," the older man said, "that's the best we can do."

The young black-haired man typed something when the PC loaded up and a scene from the D-lab lit up on the screen.

A brunet boy with shoulder-length hair and thin glasses was seen working on a laptop while sitting at a table at least the youngest one of the trio's seen before. They could see him from the side, so they must've connected to a webcam of the main screens.

They tried to speak up, but it seemed as they couldn't be heard.

"Looks like the microphone doesn't work..." The black-haired sighed.

Suddenly, a rushed older boy wrapped his arm around the boy on the screen, holding two plastic boxes in his other hand. "Mom sent me to deliver you guys some cookies!"

"Cole!" the smaller boy snapped at him, accidentally bumping into a cup of coffee he had beside the laptop. He quickly grabbed it, spiling only a few drops. "Be careful. If Reese finds out I brought a coffee here, she is going to kill me."

"How many times have you or Spike spiled coffee around here?" they recognized as Dr. Owen.

"At least ten times this month," Spike's voice nervously chuckled, "each."

Cole grinned and looked back at the younger boy with glasses. "C'mon, Justin, cheer up a little, my dude!"

"What did you just call me?" Justin raised his eyebrows.

Cole laid one of the boxes next to Justin's laptop and pulled the boy with him.

After a while, a brunette girl went to take the second box of cookies. She looked very similar to Justin. She had a black hoodie over her head. She just stood there, holding her head.

"Alice, are you okay?" a soothing boyish voice asked her. A blond boy walked over to her.

The couple watching gasped and smiled when they saw him.

"...I'm fine...I'm just scared of telling mom and Nicolas about what happened with dad. I know that now that the whole team knows I should tell them too, but..."

"I'll be with you if you want me to," Rex offered.

"Nicolas' going to be furries, but I guess it'd be better." She smiled at him.

Then the window of the webcam started to turn into static and the computer shut off.

"Shot! Oh, stupid 2000's technology!" the younger man growled.

The other two were happy and relieved to see at least what they did.

This was possibly the best time for them to make a move; their device wasn't perfect, but there might be a way to finish it at the D-lab.

—

Meanwhile, in Sanjo, Cruz just got settled in at Shinori's.

Dengyo was his close friend and Zakuro and Sora trusted him since he was also a guardian. They knew him for some time.

"Thank you so much," Cruz thanked them as he looked around Dengyo's room the boy decided to leave to him—Den moved into Kenji's room for some time.

"Don't mention it," Zakuro chuckled, "it's nothing compared to how you took care of Den while in the Akuno."

"Yeah, we're happy to have you here," Sora agreed, "though, Kenji doesn't seem too amazed."

That was true—the amateur cameraman held a certain dislike towards him, mostly because of how Sabi suspected him from hurting Dark and no one, NO ONE, hurts Kenji's white rose.

"I'll attempt to explain myself to him, but I need to do it with Sabina and Damita first." And Cruz headed out.

Knowing exactly what the boy wants to tell Dark, Zakuro called her best friend Wendy. As one of the only people she knew about Wendy's family and she knew she wanted to tell Cruz and Dark about it for a long time as well. Zak informed her about the meeting of the teens and agreed to babysit Wendy's son while she goes there as well.

—

Alice got back home with Rex soon, leaving the others at the D-lab to have fun while they talk to Lucy and Nicolas.

Both of them were already waiting in the living room. Alice stayed standing hesitantly in the doorway, staring at both of them.

Rex rubbed her back gently, nodding.

Alice frowned at him but stepped forward. "So, I...I should tell you the whole story about what happened five years ago."

Nicolas rolled his eyes and wanted to get up, however, Lucy blocked him with her arm.

"Hear her out first."

He sat back down.

—

An hour later, Sabi and Dark were waiting at a small café, drinking orange juice.

"Hey." Cruz walked to them.

The brunette looked away with a frown while Dark welcomed him with a smile.

He sat down. "I understand why you judge me, Kon, but I assure you I'm nothing like them."

"Like who exactly?" Sabi wondered.

"The Akuno and my parents. That's what I want to talk about. Damita..." Cruz glanced at Dark who shook at that name.

"Her name is Dark," Sabi corrected him strictly.

"As you wish. Then, Dark, I should start the story from the very beginning. I was just two when you were born; I was so delighted to have a baby sister."

"Sister...? You are-"

"Your brother. Exactly. Are you starting to remember?"

"Maybe..."

Cruz continued. "It all looked so perfect until the true nature of our parents started to show. Once you turned three, they began to abuse you, only you...That scar over your eye is from them. It lasted for three whole years and then something inside me snapped; they tried to drown you. We ran away from them. We were by ourselves...That was when we first met Kami and the Akuno. She offered us her help; it was the only way to protect you. I had no idea what the Akuno truly is..."

He lowered his head.

"You were lucky because Zepar couldn't hurt you. I am not sure how does the darkness crystal work, but I know it's different. Kami told me that the crystal is inside you, Dam...Dark, and that's the reason Zepar cannot touch you. I also had similar protection from the star crystal I am a guardian of; I can't recall how I got to that crystal since I too have suppressed some of my worst memories."

Cruz looked at Dark.

"I hope you understand I've done everything I could to keep you safe."

"I do..." Dark whispered, her body shaking.

Sabi touched her shoulder. "Dark..."

The smaller girl looked at her with her big red eyes. "Why are you mad at him?"

"Huh? Um...I only wanted to be sure that he isn't like your parents. I won't let anything hurt you, Dark."

"That is understandable; they did nothing to me after all." Cruz folded his arms. "I'm glad you protect her, Kon."

Then a black-haired woman approached them. Her hair was shoulder-length and her right eye was the same as Dark's while her left was like Cruz's. "They held a grudge towards their daughters. I have no idea why..."

They looked at her.

"Dr. Wendy?" Sabi wondered.

"Dr. Wendy Makuto," Wendy corrected her.

—

Zakuro was alone at home—Dengyo was in the library, Sora and Kenji went outside—she was left with Shadow the Lufengosaurus and Gerard, Wendy's baby son.

The baby just fell asleep when somebody tapped Zakuro's shoulder. The woman turned around to see Kami standing right behind her.

Zakuro would scream if she didn't have the sleeping baby in her arms. She only jumped and gasped. "Jesus Christ... Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" she snapped as quietly as she could. She then realized who exactly she's talking to.

"Kami Ike...?" She's met this girl once before; the guardians faced up against the Akuno 9 years ago. The strange thing about it is that Drack, Mary and Kami looked exactly the same then as they do now. That was one of Zepar's powers she's given to the three.

"Hey, Zak..." Kami waved at her shyly.

"Don't call me that...The only person who ever called me that was-"

"Your father," Kami finished instead of Zakuro.

"How do you know...?"

"I knew him. You have his eyes."

"What...? Where are you going with this?" Zakuro wondered.

"Since Zepar is about to make her final move soon, I figured it's time to see you again after 30 years. Zak, I am so sorry for leaving you and your father, but I-"

"Leaving?" Zakuro growled confusedly when she realized.

Kami changed her appearance into an older version of herself; she was at least 20 years older than Zakuro.

The woman with glasses glared at her. "Mother...?"

Kami nodded.

"It's too late to apologize."

"I know. But let me at least explain myself."

Zakuro sighed. "Fine..."

"Thank you. I didn't want to leave, Zepar made me. She'd hurt you both if I stayed and I couldn't allow that. When I first held you, my baby, I was the happiest I ever could have been."

The woman looked away.

"Zak...I know I cannot take all those years back; I wanted you to know the truth...That's everything...Goodbye, I guess..." Kami was about to leave when Zakuro asked her.

"Did you love him?"

Kami stopped. "I did...More than anyone, but like everyone I ever loved, I lost him... How did he die?"

"He got shot by my best friend's ex-boyfriend Jeff. Dad protected me... Jeff got away with it because they couldn't find the gun." Zakuro shook, trying not to cry as she remembered her father's last words. Kami wrapped her arm around her, being careful not to squish Gerard.

"Thank you for showing up..." Zakuro smiled. "It's nice to know I still have a parent."

"Zak..." Kami was surprised to hear her say that. She smiled back. "No problem." She left, happy with her decision.

However, Zakuro was thinking about what Kami told her about Zepar. She's about to make her final move... Others had to know about that.

—

"Mary gave him the love potion to make him do that and I managed to see them together a few times. I was so mad at him that I told him I hate him," Alice explained, staring at her shoes the whole

"He cheated on me..." Lucy murmured with a quiet broken voice; they barely heard her. She clenched a pack of cigarettes she was holding so tightly she crushed it. "That bastard!" she cried loudly, tears running down her cheeks. Her face turned red from all the anger she held against her dead husband.

She was willing to damage her health by smoking, just so she can see him again sooner and now she finds out that he betrayed her.

Lucy got up, her head hanging down. "I...I need a breather..." she mumbled before leaving the house.

The house was caught in awkward silence until Nicolas spoke up, "and this is another episode of my twin sister fucking everything up. Seriously, sis, you should just stay mute forever."

Alice made a step back, her lip shaking. She wanted to tell him something, but he was right. Every time she spoke up, something bad happened.

"She told you the truth in hopes you'll understand her reasoning," Rex told him.

Nicolas stood up, glaring at the blondie. "Shut up. This is none of your business!"

"I am only defending my friend, Nicolas." Rex grabbed his arm, however, at that moment, the brunet punched him. Rex hovered backward and Alice wrapped her arms around him, helping him to balance.

"I told you to shut up!" Nicolas clicked his tongue and walked quickly away.

"Rex...I'm sorry...! Nicolas is right, I should be quiet."

"No..." The blondie shook his head, smiling at her reassuringly. "You talking isn't what brings bad luck, trust me."

"How can you say that...?" Alice pouted.

"Because it was your voice that snapped me out of Mary's spell. Alice, we can't force him to forgive you; he needs time."

The brunette nodded reluctantly.

—

"You are-"

"-our sister?" Cruz and Dark said, examining Wendy from head to toes with their looks.

"I'd like to say 'unfortunately', but only because it means _they_ were my parents too... The first 15 years of my life were hell. Some people are just evil and full of anger for no reason."

Sabi stayed quiet the whole time; this had nothing to do with her after all. She was the third wheel.

Wendy sat at the table. "I ran away from home before Cruz was born. If I knew it would happen again... I'd possibly still leave... I'm definitely not a sister of the year."

As they were discussing their horrible parents, Sabi got a message from Dengyo. She read it from her communicator.

"Zakuro wants to see all the owners and guardians."

—

Rex came back home to be met with preparations for a family dinner. Similarly to the time they celebrated his return, the Taylors and the Drakes were all in the house seemingly happy. There still were a few differences, Dr. Owen was on his way, the Traveling Forces were all in different places and busy with their own stuff and Reese...

—

Reese was all alone in the house, bored and sad. She headed to the bathroom, washing her face to snap out. She looked into the mirror, staring at her defeated reflection.

 _Ghost-like pale skin, glassy eyes, messy hair_ _, deep frown..._

Nothing like the beautiful young lady everyone knew...

This was a completely different person; no beauty, no hope, no rationality...

Reese gasped softly when she noticed a reflection of a person standing right behind her. They said only a few words.

 **"Let's make you beautiful again."**

—

Rex walked into the living room where the families were gathered.

"Hi, everyone."

They all greeted him, but then Aki rushed to him worriedly. "Rex, what happened to you?"

He figured she's talking about the bruise he had on his cheek. "Nothing...Alice and I talked to Nicolas, that's all."

Aki frowned sadly.

"It doesn't hurt," he reassured her, "and I didn't hit him back." She sighed.

"He only protected Alice, you don't have to worry about him," Spike said.

Aki stroked the blond boy's cheek, making him smile. He walked over to his friends.

Ace rushed to play with Chomp, Paris, and Blitz.

Rex stopped and blinked a few times, his eyes fixed on Zoe. "Where are your goggles?" he wondered.

Max glanced at her, staring at her as if he just noticed when his friend pointed it out.

"Sue thought Amy would look cute with them," Zoe chuckled.

"And?" Rex frowned, his voice sounded confused; he didn't understand what she meant by that.

"She does!" His friend grinned happily, her cheeks turning pink.

The blondie could only smile softly at his friend's excitement over such a dumb thing.

Then Spike approached him. "So, you told Lucy and Nicolas?" he asked.

Rex nodded.

"How did she take it?"

"...not very well...She needs time." Rex lowered his head slightly. He understood how she felt this whole time, losing someone she loved; however, a betrayal like this must be much worse.

"It's good that you and Alice told you the truth; it would hurt her more if she found out from someone else," Mike said.

"Definitely," Spike agreed.

Rosie glared at Mike. "Funny coming from the guy who forgot to mention his father serves the evilest woman alive."

"Or the guy who had a secret superhero identity," Aki added, glaring at Spike.

Both men sighed in defeat.

The kids chuckled.

Suddenly, their dinosaurs growled and rushed to the front door.

"Chomp, what's wrong?" Max asked surprisedly.

A beeping sounded through the room. Zoe looked at her communicator. "This is what's wrong, Max." She showed him the communicator.

"A dinosaur? Right here?" Max's question was immediately answered by a loud dinosaur roar.

They all rushed outside to see a Spinosaurus and a Saichania right on the road. They headed on the main road, facing off against the two dinosaurs and the person controlling them.

"Kami..." Rex whispered.

—

 **That's all for this chapter; I know it wasn't much (except for the beginning), but this is definitely my fasted chapter written for the remake!**

 **I know it's only a backstory chapter, however, I wanted to clear out several things.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and see you in the next chapter.**


	22. Zepar's Final Move

**Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

While the parents had no idea what to expect from this girl, the D-Team knew exactly what Kami and her dinos can do.

The Akuno member was standing behind her dinosaurs with the black cosmos stone around her neck.

"Not this again..." Zoe murmured.

"Who is this?" Rosie asked.

"Kami Ike. She's a strong member of the Akuno," Max replied, "I don't think we can defeat her without the others."

"We don't have to defeat her; we only need to take the cosmos stone," Rex explained, "that's how Zepar controls her. She's-" He felt a sudden urge of telling them who their enemy is, however, he knew it'd be better if she told them herself.

He must save her before telling the truth.

Spiny and Tank charged at them.

"Dino slash!"

Chomp, Ace, Paris, and Blitz appeared and stopped the two dinos. The lightning dinos attacked Spiny while Ace and Paris took care of Tank.

The families moved closer to Kami.

"Don't waste your time," she told them monotonously, "you have only 1.48% chance of winning, don't even try."

"There is a chance," Mike pointed out.

Kami growled.

"We'll just get this over with," Spike said, swiping his whip at the stone she was wearing. Before the whip could reach her she drew out her own whip, stopping his. The whips tangled.

"It won't be that easy."

The batteling dinosaurs shifted to the group, preventing them from getting to Kami.

Zoe pouted. "We'll see about that. Metal Wing!" She swiped her move card. As the Pteranodons appeared, she ordered them to get to Kami, however, the princess was prepared for that.

Kami placed two cards to the hexagon on her glove. "Tupuxuara Dive. Anhanguera Dive."

A Tupuxuara and two Anhangueras appeared fighting the Pteranodons.

—

As Zakuro requested, most of the owners and guardians gathered at her house. Except for the two families that were fighting Kami at the moment, Dr. Owen, Cole, Sue, Amy, Alice, Kyra, Lucy, and Nicolas were missing.

Wendy who came with Sabi and the Makuto siblings took care of her son but stayed because Zakuro insisted.

"So, why are we here?" Niki asked.

"It's better if we wait for the others," Dengyo suggested.

Justin looked at his communicator. "I doubt they will come. A dinosaur has appeared."

"Does that mean that we'll just wait?" Andy wondered, "or...?"

"Wait..."

—

Meanwhile, Ace and Paris tossed Tank away. She landed on the top part of the road, curling into a ball and rolling down the street where Chomp and Blitz battled Spiny and the families stood.

The families and Spiny managed to dodge the rolling Saichania, but the Triceratops and Styracosaurus didn't and got knocked down.

The Saichania stopped and uncurled.

"Such a banal trick and yet very effective, don't you think?" Kami said calmly. She had that unsettling cool vibe around her that love potioned Rex or Drack have.

They had a chance to get to her. Max rushed forward, but Spiny got in the way.

"You still don't get it, do you? I can't let you win; I have my orders."

"What orders?" Aki wondered.

"To capture you and bring you all to Zepar. She wants her revenge and I'll be the one who'll give it to her."

"You're digging your own grave, Kami," Rex said, "she wants revenge on you too!"

The pink-haired girl paused, glaring at him with a frown. He was right—no! No, he isn't! She'd never hurt her.

Ace and Paris attacked Spiny, keeping him away from the families.

—

Cole met up with Dr. Owen, Lucy, Kyra, Amy, Sue, and Alice as they wanted to head to the Shinoris', however, the battlefield around caught their attention.

"Great..." Sue sighed annoyedly, "can't we get a break for two days? Why does a dino have to appear now?! It has to wait, I guess; Zakuro wants to talk to us now!"

Alice shook her head. "Are we sure it is a new dinosaur...?" she asked quietly.

"Alice has a point," Foster agreed, "it could be the Akuno causing troubles."

Cole was looking around, not seeing anything. "The battlefield is in the city, but I can't see where..."

Amy frowned thoughtfully and remembered what Zoe mentioned about her goggles before she gave them to her and she got an idea. "Cole, I need to sit on your shoulders!"

"What?!"

The guitarist only stared at her.

"Oh hell no!" Sue snapped.

"Sue, I think I can find the battle," Amy explained and climbed on Cole's shoulders when he knelt down. She put on the goggles, zooming in, looking around.

"You look so adorable in those, Amy!" Kyra awed.

Amy scanned her surroundings; she was able to see more in the distance with Cole's height boost. Then she saw it, a spiked ball flying through the air. "I think I have something! It's at the Taylors."

Cole gasped. "No way!" He almost lost balance. He put Amy down.

"We gotta go," Cole said, "Kid, Rex, mom, and dad are probably in a great mess."

"Not only them; the Drakes are supposed to be there as well," Foster told them.

"What...? Fine! Zakuro can hell wait!" Sue decided, changing her mind quickly.

"Shouldn't we at least let her know we'll be late?" Kyra wondered.

"Right..." Cole nodded and tried to contact Dengyo, but his communicator couldn't send a message or call. "I can't...?"

"The hell you're talking about, rockstar? Are you that useless?" Sue growled and tried it herself with the same results. "The hell? There's no signal...?"

"Maybe that's why none of you caught the dinosaur signal," Dr. Owen suggested.

"Good point..." Alice nodded.

"Anyway, let's go!" Cole and Sue said unison.

"Jinx!" Cole grinned teasingly. "You owe me a soda, Ice Queen!"

Sue smiled back the same way, but then it turned into a determined frown. "Now's not the time for that."

—

All the D-Team dinos used their moves, Lightning Strike, Lightning Spear, Sonic Blast, Emerald Garden; they were countered with Shockwave and Rock Roller. The impact created a huge wave of fogy dust to fall around from the Rock Roller move.

The dust soon moved away from them, still staying around.

"This is going nowhere," Rex murmured.

"Then what should we do?" Zoe wondered, "we can't get to the Cosmos Stone."

"I might have an idea." Realizing there is no other way to stop Kami, he decided to reveal her true identity; she reacted to her real name, despite having the stone. "La-" He paused immediately when he heard Aki's voice.

"Where did Max go?" she asked.

The other looked around, noticing she's right.

"Huh? Max? Max! Where are you?" Spike called for his son.

"You lost him already?" Kami chuckled devilishly, "he understood that there is no chance you can win against me." Just as she said that Max jumped out of the rest of the dust, his hand with a cloth was reached towards the Black Cosmos Stone. He grabbed the stone, yanking it off the brown cape. He hit the ground alongside Kami.

Kami only stared scaredly, her eyes turning brighter.

The others rushed to them.

Max groaned.

"Max, are you okay?" his parents worried.

"Yeah... I just hit my arm..." He tried to get up and accidentally dropped the Cosmos Stone. The stone rolled down the road.

They jumped up.

"Oh, nonononononono!" The Taylors all panicked.

Fortunately, Mike picked the Cosmos Stone up using his coat. "That was a close one..."

"Yeah. So, is this really it?" Zoe wondered, looking at Kami who was avoiding eye contact as much as she could.

Rex walked over to her. "Kami."

"I'm sorry..." She moved her right hand to her left slowly, touching the hexagon and retrieving Spiny and Tank.

The blond offered her his hand.

—

They decided that it would be the best idea to hide the Cosmos Stone on board of the Backland. They put it in one of the cases that were used for the same purpose two years ago.

"I had no idea Cosmos Stones can be used in this way," Rosie said.

"Well, Dr. Ancient did mention that these stones have unlimited powers," Spike remembered.

"Zepar directs her power through the stone, but I am not sure how," Rex explained.

"Who is this Zepar anyway? Why is she after us?" Max questioned, "and how can we be sure she isn't controlling Kami anymore?"

Kami, who was standing behind them, jerked nervously.

"We can trust her," Rex reassured them.

"Are you sure?" Zoe was a little skeptical. Despite she trusted Rex and Amy no matter what, but that was because she knows them and they are her friends, but Kami is a complete stranger.

The blond turned to the Akuno member.

"I know..." She nodded before he could tell her to reveal herself. "Look, I know you don't trust me and I can't blame you for it; I've been an Akuno member for years now." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I guess _this_ will be better than words."

Her body shrunk, her pink hair shortened, her cheeks became rosier, the clothes were baggy on her. There was suddenly a 6-year-old girl standing instead of the teen.

Everyone else but Rex gasped. "Laura?"

She opened her emerald eyes to their shocked expressions.

"Surprised?"

Her only reply was chocked noise from them. They had no idea how exactly should they react. They knew Kami all along...? How?

She turned back into Kami. She assumed she knows what they're all thinking, so she started explaining.

"After we discovered Rex and his parents are gone, Rod and I decided to search. We found some footage of Rex actually leaving through a portal, then the footage cut off. We managed to find a way to summon this portal, the time warp, however, we ended up in a completely different era, in the year 1902, right at this place.

The Grey family showed us kindness and let us stay with them. Spending 8 years together, Rod and Harc Grey fell in love and I realized that even if there was a way to go back home, he wouldn't take it. I'm sure you've all heard about the Greyholt legend; it's absolutely true. After Ronwe's death, Sikers' meeting with Zepar and us finding out about her order, I decided to take Harc's place, for her and for Rod.

Since then, my life turned into hell.

At first, Zepar treated me like her own daughter, but then her true nature started to show. She forced me into disturbing things... I was just 16 and there was nothing I could do... Then one day, she asked for 'more followers'..."

Kami had to pause and inhale a little more, glancing away from them.

"A year later, Drack was born and the next year even Mary; at least that's how they call themselves now. They were influenced by Zepar their whole lives, so you can't blame them for what they are, but that might be just my instinct protecting my own children. Throughout our lives, we've all tried to escape the Akuno at least once.

The first one to try was Drack."

Kami looked at Mike with a sad frown.

"He met Vivian Drake, staying with her for years, but Zepar found out and made him come back before his son was born. She threatened him she'd kill them all if he doesn't obey."

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, curling his hands into fists. Emotions mixed inside him.

Rosie noticed the struggle he's going through. She wrapped her arms around him soothingly.

Kami continued, "Zepar punished him the worst way she could. She broke him. He became an emotionless vessel that doesn't care about anything but survival.

It went similarly to Mary. She found a man now known as Phoebus Kato senior. She fell in love with him and after their son was born, Zepar threatened her as well. Zepar's torture made her insane, self-centered, obsessive, lovesick. She wants to live-up to Zepar's expectations."

She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

"And then, there was me...I was sent by Zepar to find the guardians in this form. And I found them, Komatsu and Kato junior; I was only meant to observe, but then I met Haru Shiraki... In my adult form, I got close to him and it ended up the as same as Drack's and Mary's cases. I had a daughter, however, I had to abound both of them. I know Zakuro will never forgive me... Zepar's punishment for me wasn't as bad as for Drack and Mary; she only tempered with my memory, erasing any memories surrounding the dinosaur events or you."

She opened her eyes, smiling slightly.

"Cruz helped me remember."

She detached a hand projector from her belt, looking at it.

"I saved him and Dark by taking them in the Akuno; I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe because Cruz reminded me of _him_ by his looks or by how much he cared about his little sister."

She held the projector tightly.

"Before that, Mary had her second attempt to escape. This time, she used her powers, changing her identity and appearance to Hikari Yori, giving a love potion to Sora Shinori. It had the same result as the last time; Zepar found out and forced her to leave him and their son.

She didn't learn her lesson and tried once again with Komatsu, which resulted in her being ordered to murder him. That wasn't a different order for no reason, no, Zepar had a plan. Komatsu's death messed Kyra's mind up and made her vulnerable. That's where I stepped in, becoming her best friend. That friendship ended quickly...

During the time of the dinosaur events, Zepar kept me locked, scared that my involvement would make me remember, but I've already mentioned, I got my memories back. She sent out others, including Dengyo, who joined a while before it all started, to spy on you.

Once all seven Cosmos Stones were assembled at the end of it all, Zepar got all her powers back."

"Wow, wow, wow," Max interrupted her, "what does Zepar have to do with the stones?"

"They contain her power because Zepar is the Dark Pterosaur. Her whole life, she's felt anger towards her sister, she's felt underestimated. She wants to get the true power that belongs to her, the crystals.

There is apparently some kind of balance between Zepar and her sister; if one of them obtains their maximum strength, the other one is on the edge of theirs, however, if one of them dies, the other one dies as well.

This means after Zepar was defeated, she and the Pterosaur would both die. That didn't happen, the Black Cosmos Stone stayed untouched by the attack to keep them both alive. I assume that is the Pterosaur's work; all seven original stone plates survived after all.

One would theoretically keep Zepar alive only as a human, but somebody played with power that was too much for them. A human experimented with the remains of Zepar's energy, creating what she calls 'the Last Crystal'; this 'creator' gave Zepar power she has now.

I guess...that's everything..." Laura murmured. She looked up at them to see them all in tears.

True, her story isn't the happiest, but she didn't expect that kind of reaction from them.

The first one to speak up was Rex. "Laura? What exactly did you mean by me _and_ my parents being gone?"

"Huh? Well, when we got on the ship and put out the fire, we only found pieces of Helga and Jonathan and some blood, but never the bodies..."

Rex frowned thoughtfully and also sadly.

Then Aki spoke up as well. "So, if you used to be Kyra's best friend, you're that girl that kissed Cole."

Laura blushed and sighed, sweat-dropping. "I'd rather not talk about that..." She shook her head.

Suddenly, the room filled with a chilling and unsettling atmosphere. Their bodies shook. The door behind Laura opened and a dark figured walked in.

Its movement was strange, as it dragged the weight of its body on its weak legs.

Laura turned around and immediately swiped her whip. The figure disappeared once she hit it.

"What was that?" Mike wondered.

"Zepar's illusion. She can create these humanoids that obey her every word. They're made out of her own energy that is split between those creations; they're depending on one another. If one is overpowered, the rest can barely move. They must be in balance as Zepar and her sister. An impact should destroy these illusions," Laura explained, "if she sent those, we don't have much time." She headed away.

The others followed her to the cockpit from where the city could be seen. They stared in shock. The sky was dark and there was a castle floating above the city.

"What's going on? What's that supposed to be?" Aki asked confusedly.

"The Akuno..." Rex recognized the layout of the building.

"Exactly. Zepar's always wished for a huge palace like that. There's no time to waste. This is why she sent me to distract you; this is Zepar's final move. She ordered me to keep you busy while she...While she gets to Reese."

"She what?! What does she want to do to Reese?" Zoe gasped.

"I...I don't know..." Laura sighed. "Sorry... I only know that she planned to capture her."

"What...?! We gotta go find her! Now!" Zoe insisted; her voice was shaky and worried.

"If Zepar succeeded, she'd keep Reese in the prison inside the Akuno," Rex said, "going after her is literally falling into Zepar's trap."

"Right, it's too dangerous," Max agreed.

"I don't care!" she snapped at them, "I can't leave her with that devil, not after witnessing what Zepar's capable of!"

"You'll get yourself killed."

"But I can't let my sister die, Max!"

"I know, but-"

Zoe turned around. "If you think it's dangerous, I can go alone." She was about to leave when she felt her parents' hands hold her back. She looked at them.

"You won't be much help to Reese if you don't get there," Mike told her, "from what we heard, Zepar doesn't make things easy."

She nodded.

"Look, it's not like we don't want to save Reese," Max started, "but rushing into danger like that is too reckless, even if it is to save someone you love."

Zoe frowned, lowering her head, remembering all the times she's done that.

"Zepar has definitely prepared traps; she knows we're coming," Rex said, "the prison is on the first floor. There's no doubt that Reese is there."

"Okay, let's go."

Then the door opened and another figure walked in. Laura stepped out to face it. "Go. I'll take care of the searcher." She pressed a button on the main control panel, teleporting the families down.

—

The searchers were also in the city.

While the chibi dinosaurs dealt with one group of the figures, Andy and the others tried to protect Wendy and Gerard who stayed inside the house. They fought stronger searchers that could actually hurt them, but they quickly figured out that a bigger hit can destroy them.

Andy jumped up, made a flip and bounced off his hand off the ground, landing on his feet away from the attacking searcher.

"Wow, why have you stopped being a cheerleader?" Sabi asked him in amaze.

"I brought Kenji with me a few times and he looked up girls' skirts..." That answer made the brunette glared at Kenji reproachingly.

"What?" He shrugged. "Did you expect anything else?"

"Guys, this is not the best time to discuss how perverted my half-brother is," Dengyo said, defending himself from an attack.

"Well, that doesn't mean he isn't," Niki pointed out.

"She's got a point," Ema agreed.

"Hey!"

"Chicos...Don't be mean," Dark murmured.

"We're not mean, we're just having fun," Ema corrected her. Then a searcher grabbed her from behind. Something got thrown at its head, making it disappear. Ema looked behind her to see a metal arrow-like thing stuck in a tree.

"Is that a kunai?"

"It's a part of my personal collection," Zakuro said as she pulled the kunai knife out of the tree.

"She rarely uses them," Sora chuckled and a smirk formed on his face, his cheeks becoming red, "but when she does it's rough."

In the next second, kunai and shurikens flew around him, dodging him closely. His smirk disappeared and his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, honey!" he pleaded apologetically.

"Not the best time for this," Cruz warned them before jumping and grabbing a tree branch. He swang, kicking a few searchers.

Other searchers headed towards Dark, she had no way of protecting herself.

"Dark!" Sabi wanted to rush to her, but searchers blocked her.

One of the dark figures touched the black-haired girl, but immediately let go, hissing in pain, vanishing. Kenji hit the others surrounding Dark with a rock. "Leave my girlfriend alone!"

She blinked a few times, blushing. "Kenji, we've talked about this... I am not your girlfriend."

"Oh, just give it some time, love." Ken winked at her.

"You saw that thing disappear once it touched Dark, right?" Sabi asked.

"Yeah. So, why did it get hurt by that?" Niki played with her hair, thinking.

Cruz realized right away. "The darkness crystal."

"Of course, they must be weak to the crystals," Justin told them, "do you what that means?"

"Well, definitely!" The blonde summoned her purple crystal out of her communicator and directed it to the ground. "Hold tight, guys."

The lit up and the ground started to shake.

—

The D-Team made their way to the highest building in Sanjo the castle was clearly connected to. Getting to the top is their only way of getting to Reese.

They hid behind a close building since the searchers were investigating and patrolling around.

"That's a lot of stairs and illusions..." Mike sighed as he looked at the high building. "How are we going to get inside without them noticing us?"

Zoe frowned thoughtfully. She glanced down and her eyes fell on her communicator. "I know!" She pulled out Paris' and the Metal Wing card. Rosie grabbed her wrist before she could swipe.

" _Without_ them noticing us," she reminded her daughter.

"Well, our only other option is sneaking around them," Spike said, "we need to distract them."

Max grinned, noticed a rock on the ground and some garbage cans. He picked up the rock. "Prepare to run to the entrance." He threw the rock at the cans. Once the sound of ringing metal filled the streets, the searchers headed to its source.

The group rushed in the building, barricading the door when they were all inside. They panted and scanned the area. The first floor of the building was full of different stores.

Everything was scattered around as if something stormed the surroundings. Windows were broken, doors were destroyed. Not a single person was around.

"Seems like it's safe here," Rex assumed.

"I really hope you're right..." Aki sighed worriedly, holding her hands together.

They started walking, heading for an elevator.

There was an intense atmosphere created by the unsettling silence.

Suddenly, they heard a tapping sound. A shadow from a raptor-like searcher covered them as it stepped on the light. It was much bigger than any raptor should be, about 1.5 to 2 meters tall. It was sniffing around and the smell of the families caught its attention. It growled at them.

"You had to jinx it..."

The predator searcher roared and its shape changed into a cat-like beast; it charged at them.

"Run for it!"

The families raced away from the animal.

"We must find an elevator fast!" Max shouted, running as fast as he could.

"We should lose that illusion first," Spike suggested. He stopped and swang his whip at the beast. Unlike with the humanoid searchers that disappeared mostly after a single contact with anything, the predator wasn't affected. It roared loudly. "Well, that failed..." He started running again, catching up with the rest.

"It's too strong."

"Then you should I summon Chomp?" Max asked.

"No," Rex replied, "Zepar would know it's us. We need to keep running."

"I don't think I can keep the pace any longer," Aki yelped. She wasn't the only one feeling that way; they all were slowing down.

Seeing no other way of escaping and eventually saving Reese as long as they have the predator searcher at their tail, Mike realized one of them must make a move. He stopped and turned to face the beast.

"Go ahead; I'll slow it down," he said.

Once they heard that, Zoe and Rosie froze in place.

"No!" Zoe shirked at a thought of another part of her family being in lethal danger.

"Mike, this is crazy."

"I know." Mike lowered his head, his fists shaking. "Please, bring Reese home."

Rosie stared at her husband, dumbfounded by his determination and bravery. She nodded. "Whatever it takes." She took Zoe's hand. "Let's go."

"Wait, what?!" Zoe gasped and glanced at her mother. "We can't leave him! There's gotta be something-"

"Zoe, just go!" Mike yelled at her.

The teen paused, looking at him; he's never yelled at her before.

Rosie took advantage of that and dragged her away. Zoe was crying, trying to make her mother let go. "No! We have to help him."

"We have to save Reese," Rosie reminded her.

Zoe gave up on struggling since there was no point in it.

They soon caught up with the rest when the elevator arrived.

"Where's Dr. Drake?" Max asked them.

Zoe only glanced down at that question.

"We must hurry," Rosie said and got in the elevator with the others. The door closed and they started moving to the roof.

"What happened there?" Aki worried.

"Mike gave us a chance to go save Reese," Rosie explained, "that's all."

Zoe lowered her head, frowning.

"If there's anyone who can deal with a wild animal it's your father," Rosie reassured her, touching her shoulder, "he might be crazy and stubborn, but when he decides for something there's nothing that can stop him." A smile formed on the woman's face. "Similar to a certain teenage girl."

Zoe smiled back. "You're right..."

—

On the first floor, the predator searcher growled at Mike.

"Come here, kitty," Mike said, taking his giant needle he was caring on his back.

The beast growled again, this time it was less aggressive because the searcher seemed scared of the needle. It glared at him.

"Ready for your flu shot?"

The predator searcher knew its orders, killing anyone who dares to head to the castle. It jumped at Mike without hesitation, knocking him down. It was hovering over him like a hungry lion, ready to sink its teeth into his flesh. He was keeping it in a safe distance with the needle, holding it horizontally as it was his reflex when the beast attacked. He couldn't simply turn it in the position he needed to strike it.

This couldn't be the end...

Not like this...

He remembered Zoe's cry, _"No! We have to help him."_

After hearing those words, thought of her finding out he lost breaks his heart. Rosie has trust in him; he can't disappoint her. Reese is waiting for them, _all_ of them; he must catch up with them and see her.

There is only one way to get that illusion off him; something that he inherited from Drack. He's been avoiding this ability for years unlike Reese, the only daughter that also has that ability, who doesn't mind using it in everyday life. Drack's been gifted by Zepar with inhuman strength. Mike had this ability he couldn't properly control after him, resembling young and untrained Hercules.

He kicked the predator off him and stood up. When the beast got back up it attempted to attack again. Mike fenced with the needle, keeping the searcher away.

Suddenly, the predator searcher charged at him, jumping at him the same way as before. Mike was prepared this time, stabbing the illusion with the needle, injecting it with strong anesthetics.

Its body dropped right at him. He pushed it off, getting up. The predator searcher's body vanished.

He panted and headed to the top of the building.

—

The elevator was rising slowly, carrying the group to the roof. The place was filled with a cheering tune of a familiar song. It was one of the songs of Taken Down To Heaven.

Aki hummed to the song in attempts of staying calm.

The elevator stopped. They got off and walked a few last stairs until they opened a door and walked on the roof. Right on the opposite side from them was the entrance to the Akuno castle.

They were almost there, but then they heard footsteps behind them. "I don't recommend you making another step," a boyish voice told them. They knew that voice and turned back to make sure they weren't mistaking and they weren't.

Cole was standing there offensively. It was so unlike him; the blank frown on his face, his brown hair covering his right eye.

"Cole...?"

"I can't let you through," he said.

"You have to!" Zoe snapped at him.

"Turning into Cole won't stop us from fighting you," Max told the opponent, "at least try to look like him."

"I am not here to make you insecure about fighting. I am here to stop you." Cole smirked and swiped his card, summoning more than ten Compies.

Max was about to call Chomp out, but Spike stopped him. "I'll do it. You find Reese."

"Spike, not you too," Aki exclaimed.

"This can't be that difficult," he chuckled, "I'll be fine."

Aki wanted to object, however, Max and Rex took her hands, pulling her with them.

Once they were gone, Spike placed Blitz's card to his hat where his metal plate was attached. The Styracosaurus appeared and roared at the enemy.

—

The remains of the group walked through the dark halls of the Akuno, following Rex's lead in the prison. They arrived at their destination and started looking in the cells in the long hallway. The first cells were empty.

"Reese! Reese, where are you?"

"Reese!"

They got no answer, making them all anxious.

Zoe rushed through the hallway, calling for her sister, getting the same results. She was shaking in fear and worries.

"Where is she?" she asked the rest, "Rex, you said she'd definitely be here!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Where else could she be?" Max wondered.

"You'll see. Just do what I say," an aggressive voice sounded behind them. Nicolas and his Cryolophosaurus were blocking the hallway. His stone plate was hanging on a necklace around his neck.

"Not another illusion..." Max sighed annoyedly.

"Excuse me?" Nicolas raised his eyebrow. "Don't you dare compare me to those things."

Then why would he act like that...?

Rosie noticed that reason; there was an Akuno symbol on his gray shirt. "You're one of them..."

The brunet grinned. "Exactly. Didn't see that coming?"

Max reached for his cards, but Nick caught that. "Try that and I'll turn you all into popsicles," he warned him.

They followed Nicolas' commands; he led them to the top floor while Ria the Cryolophosaurus was tailing them, making sure they don't try anything.

"Why would you do that?" Rex asked him offensively.

"I have no interest in sharing that. Just keep your mouth shut, smartypants, or I'll punch you again."

Hearing that threat, Aki couldn't hold herself and said protectively, "If you hit either of the children-"

"Then what?" Nicolas looked at her curiously. "There's nothing you can do." As he said that venomously Ria growled at her. Aki scaredly made quick steps forward.

"Could you at least tell us where my daughter is?" Rosie demanded.

"Can't tell you; I got my orders."

"Why do you obey her, Nicolas?" Rex asked again, his voice getting angry, "Zepar is a monster! You're unbearably naive if you think she's going to make any of your wishes come true."

Nick chuckled darkly. "Funny coming from you. I heard from her that you were naive as well, trying to desperately get something you can't have. I've just joined and I know that she might not bring my dad back to life, but she can make my other wish come true. She'd have no problem killing my twin sister."

Rex immediately charged at him, but Max and Zoe held him back. "Don't even touch her," he growled.

Nicolas just clicked his tongue as they climbed up the stairs to the last floor and met two men standing at a huge door, Spike and Mike. Both were chained to the walls, so they don't escape.

"Dad!" Their children gasped while their wives rushed to them.

"So, you'll be fine?" Aki wondered.

"It wasn't difficult until Nicolas showed up," Spike chuckled nervously.

"You were amazing and so brave, but don't do that again," Rosie asked Mike, holding his hands.

"At least you are all okay. Where's Reese?" he questioned.

She frowned. "...I have no idea..."

"Cut that off and come with me," Nicolas groaned, snapping his fingers. The chains disappeared.

He walked through the huge door. They had no other choice than following him because Ria was blocking the only escape.

They entered what seemed to a throne room and the door closed behind them.

A big shadow was covering the throne and the person sitting on it; they couldn't see them clearly.

 **"Well, well, well, great job, servant. If I knew you're that good I'd hire you sooner. You've managed to do what my loyal servants couldn't,"** a deep female voice said. The woman on the throne was tapping her fingers on the armrest. **"After so long, I finally have you here in my castle."**

She got up and slowly walked towards them. **"I've waited for too long."**

As she roamed the light started to reveal her appearance.

Red shoes

Long pale legs

 **"You have no clue what I've done to get to this point."**

Scarlet skirt

Ripped white coat

 **"It's finally time I get my revenge on you."**

Light green zipped shirt

Green scarf

 **"And the best part of it..."**

Blond locks of hair

Pale face

 **"There's _nothing_ you can do."**

Thin glasses

Purple eyes staring right at them.

Everyone gasped in absolute shock.

"No...No..."

She could only grin. **"Surprised?"**

Indeed they were; Reese Drake was standing right in front of them as their final enemy.

—

 **Well, and that's it for the first chapter of the climax.**

 **Oh, my Helga! This one was tough, mostly because of Kami's explanation, I hope it answered some of your questions. I'm pretty happy with this chapter, especially because Mike had his time to shine, which was a last-minute addition.**

 **I hope I've got you excited for the next chapter.**


	23. The Perfect Creation

**Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

They stared at Reese in utter shock. Something was wrong; the voice wasn't her own, her right eye was black alongside a strange mark around it, similar to the ones she had on her hands.

"No...No, no, no, no, no!" Zoe cried. This person was supposed to be their enemy, but this was her sister.

What is going on...?

Reese only laughed devilishly. It was a much deeper voice than her own. **"That's the despair I love."**

"Zepar, stop this impersonation," Rex demanded.

 **"Impersonation?"** Reese shook her head. **"No, this is no impersonation, no illusion."**

"Quit this. What did you do to Reese? Where is she?" Mike questioned Zepar.

She frowned, massaging her temple. **"Oh, myself. I knew she is the smartest one of you, but I didn't expect you to be that dumb. This _is_ her. _This_ is her actual body, her real body. I've already shown you how I can take over someone's body, haven't I?"**

She was right; she took over Drack's body and it created the same marks on his body as Reese has now.

"How can we trust that?" Max asked her.

 **"You don't have to. The only thing I can tell you is that when an Akuno member possesses someone, there are these marks that appear on the body; we can't go unnoticed."**

"...Right... Sabi had it too," he realized.

 **"I am not doing this to trick you because that would be pretty useless since I have these marks."**

"Then why do you control her body?!"

 **"Because she gave it to me,"** when Zepar said that, they all looked at her confusedly, **"she betrayed you."**

"She'd never do that!" Zoe snapped.

 **"She already has. People do unusual stuff to get what they want; they're so curious, guilty, jealous, and desperate that they're willing to give up their own selves just to get what they desire, isn't that right, Rex?"** Zepar glanced at the blond.

Rex's hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

 **"It's not that unbelievable anymore, is it? Just like you, she saw no other way out of her situation."** Zepar pulled the shirt up, revealing Reese's wound. **"She was full of despair and I was her only hope."**

"How does that make her a traitor?" Aki wondered, "Rex and many others did the same; they aren't traitors."

 **"You're right. That doesn't make her a bad person, but I am sure _this_** **does."** Zepar placed her hand on her chest; a dark crystal slowly materialized in her hand. It was similar to the crystals they know; it was black with red, green, blue and purple in it, just like the Dark Pterosaur.

"The Last Crystal," Spike recognized it as the only one. The others looked at him, not understanding.

Zepar smirked. **"It seems like she isn't the only traitor."**

"Dad, what's that suppose to mean?" Max asked his father.

Spike turned away from them all. "Remeber what Laura said about the crystal? It is the reason why Zepar is so powerful again. Reese is the one who created it. I walked into the D-lab during her work; she did several tests on some type of gas, creating this thing. Zepar appeared right after she finished, telling us what the crystal caused. I promised Reese to keep everything a secret; she wanted to tell you herself and destroy the crystal."

 **"As I see, none of that happened. She's not only a traitor but also a liar."** Zepar looked at her hand. **"Strange putting your trust into someone like that."**

"Another bad word about my daughter and you'll see my bad side," Mike threatened her.

 **"You still don't get it, do you? _I_ am your daughter. We are one now. She chose this fate."**

As Zepar was distracted by her prisoners, Nicolas decided to strike. Ria used Snow Crystal move, however, in the halfway of the attack, a stone wall raised up, stopping the arrows.

Zepar's eyes glimpsed at Nicolas, directing the glowing Last Crystal at him. **"You can't outsmart me."** She stomped on the ground; huge parts of the wall fell off, leaving only several sharp rocks floating there. **"I knew it."** They flew at Nicolas and Ria like arrows, pinning him to the wall and turning her into a card. **"You aren't the first traitor to serve me."**

"Well, I've tried..." Nicolas shrugged.

"That was your plan?" Rex wondered.

"Obviously. You think I'm that dumb to trust this bitch?"

 **"You call me that like it's a bad thing."**

"Because I mean it as an insult," Nicolas replied with a 'duh' tone, "look, majesty, I only tried to assassinate you just because you're responsible for the death of my father, but that doesn't mean I'm with them. You know, I'm willing to help you."

 **"Forget about it. I'll get rid of you next. But first, you."** Zepar looked back at the D-Team, reaching her free hand in front of her. **"With you here, I can lure everyone else I need right in the palms of my hands and finally win."** She curled the hand into a fist, grinning evilly. **"Your deaths will be the start of the new era, my era! Though, I'm still not sure what should I do with this body,"** she said casually, examining her new body.

 **"She is one of my targets after all, but could I kill such a wonderful creature? I don't think so. Her physical strength and IQ are so close to mine and even her desire is the same. Smart, strong and so beautiful; she's too pure and perfect, simply an angel. And she's mine."** Zepar hugged the body, an insane smile formed on her face. **"Only mine..."**

They had nothing to say to that; this only proved that Zepar's crazy. They're locked in this room with a devil controlling their friend, ready to kill them any time.

"Stop!" Zoe yelled at her, "quit pretending this is my sister; I know it isn't! She'd never give up to you, she would never betray us!"

 **"Are you really sure you know her?"**

"Of course!"

"That's right. We have no reason to trust what you're saying. Reese isn't like that; you can be lying, shape-shifting into her," Max pointed out.

 **"Alright then, go ahead, attack me."** Zepar made a few steps forward, her arms opened. **"If you are right, nothing will happen. You won't be able to hurt me, however, if I am right, not only that you'll kill me, but also her."**

"Repeat that..."

 **"There's a 50/50 chance that you'll kill both of us. Now you're starting to believe my words, aren't you?"** Zepar grinned. **"Impressive how so little can create so much despair."**

"You're a liar," Rex spoke up.

 **"Me? A liar?"** Zepar chuckled, locking her eyes on her former victim. Her crazy grin widened as she started laughing maniacally. **"You really think this is going to faze me? Throughout my long long long life, I've been called so many names, this means nothing to me."** She stopped her laughter. **"But I can prove I am telling only truth."**

The queen of darkness covered her right eye, the one with the dark mark over it.

 **"Your turn, Creator."**

She took a few deep breaths. "...my...turn...?" a calm female voice murmured.

They recognized that voice; it belonged to the body.

"Reese?"

"Guys..." She glanced away. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out... You shouldn't have come here."

"We're here to save you," Max told her.

Reese shook her head. "You can't..."

"What do you mean? There must be a way to stop Zepar," Zoe said.

"Don't worry about it, my little royal trouble." Reese smiled weakly.

Just those few words made it clear for everyone; it was really Reese, there's no way Zepar could know that nickname.

Reese suddenly groaned in pain as it unexpectedly filled her. She grabbed her arm since it seemed like the source of suffering. She half-screamed and then her voice changed back into the deep maniacal one.

 **"Am I still a liar?"**

Watching this demon take over her sister's body once again made Zoe not only worried, which Reese just told her not to be, but mostly furious. Zepar doesn't have full control, Reese still exists.

"Reese! You gotta fight it!" Zoe pleaded, stepping forward, "I know you're still in there. You can't give up! You never give up..."

Zepar frowned, groaning annoyedly.

Zoe came closer to her sister. "Please, sis, we can go home. Ree-" With her next step, a black vine rose from the ground, wrapping around Zoe's neck, picking her from the ground.

"Zoe!"

As the girl was choking, kicking around, trying to pull the vine away from her throat Zepar only watched with a smirk on her face.

Max was about to summon Chomp when he heard a desperate scream. "STOP!" It was Reese.

The vine let go of her little sister; the D-Team gathered around Zoe who fell down, taking care of her.

"Zoe, how are you? Does it hurt a lot?" his father questioned her worriedly, embracing her.

She coughed and smiled, massaging her throat. "I'm fine... It...it doesn't hurt...now."

He sighed in relief.

Rosie was happy to see that her daughter's okay, however, she had bigger worries. She turned to Reese and saw her holding her head tightly, struggling to fight.

Reese's glasses hit the ground.

"N **-** **no!** No...!" she yelped in both voices.

"Reese..."

"Th **is wa** sn't a **part** of our d **eal...!** " Reese cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

 **"Are** you **that na** ive? **I sai** d I'm **not goi** ng t **o kill t** hem righ **t away,** I nev **er said I'm** not goi **ng to hu** rt them **!"** Zepar laughed.

"Stop...!" Reese could only scream in indescribable pain that ran through her veins. "LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Listening to her cries of despair, they couldn't bear to watch. Zoe got up, rushed to her and tried to help any way she could, picking up Reese's glasses.

"That's it! You can fight it!"

The others looked at one another, realizing what they should do. They cheered alongside Zoe.

"Don't give up!"

"Please, snap out!"

"Show her who's stronger, Reese!"

All those voices mixed in her head; they don't want her to give, they don't want to lose her.

"I AM NOT YOUR PUPPET!" Reese screamed from the top of her lunges. She hung her head down, sobbing.

Rosie walked towards her, reaching her hand to her. "Who are you now? Tell me, Reese Michiko Drake."

Reese looked up at her, crying, covering her right eye. She shook her head, backing away. "No...no, no...!" She suddenly bumped into a wall. "No...Stay away...I don't want to hurt you too..." She bit her lip, still crying.

They came closer to her.

"Reese, it's okay now," Rosie told her soothingly, "you don't have to be afraid."

"You have to get out of here," Reese sobbed, "she's going to kill you."

"We're not leaving without you," Mike said.

The blonde sighed defeatedly. "You can't save me. Zepar's too strong and she doesn't plan on leaving my body."

"There must be a way," Max said weakly. He didn't have a big trust in his words at the moment.

"There...might be," Reese realized.

They gasped hopefully, seeing that the researcher got an idea.

"We'll do anything!"

They had no clue what she's about to say.

"If you're sure...You have to attack me."

"What?!"

"You have to kill me. Zepar said it herself, killing my body will result in her death as well; that's the only way to kill her."

"Reese, that's insane," Rex told her.

"It might be, but there's nothing else you can do."

"We'd never do that!" Zoe snapped. She was sure about that. No one of them would ever be able to kill, especially someone they care about.

Never...

"If this really is the only way," Rosie said. She had complete trust in Reese; she knows that she thinks through every possibility and chooses the best one.

Mike looked at her, knowing what exactly she thinks. It hurt just imagining it, but if Reese says it is the only way.

They both nodded.

"Never!" Zoe immediately objected, shaking her head, "mom, dad, why?!"

Her father smiled at her. "If this is what your sister thinks is right..."

Zoe couldn't stand the thought of doing such a thing. The rest felt the same way.

"Fine. Blitz and I'll do it," Spike spoke up. The children glanced at him in shock.

"Thank you, Dr. Taylor. I appreciate that, but I doubt it would be enough. You've seen for yourself with Zoe; two moves following each other can only injure a human not actually kill them. I am afraid that this is going to need all four dinosaurs."

"No!" Zoe yelled.

"We can't," Rex joined, "not after losing so much..."

"I understand that this isn't an easy thing to do, but once you do it, it'll be over. No one else needs to die and one life isn't that great of a prize for saving hundreds or maybe thousands of others."

He looked down at his necklace, holding it. "No one else needs to die..." he repeated quietly. He hardened his glare. "Okay," he agreed.

"You can't be serious!" Max snapped at him.

Aki was about to say something, but she figured that her words can't change anything now.

"You can't give up like that!" Max continued.

"This isn't giving up, Max. This is the only way to win. It's like sacrificing a pawn in chess; it must be done in order to win. Neither I am comfortable with asking you guys to do this, but I trust you and I know you can do this. If she stays alive she's going to kill not only you but also Dr. Owen, Patrick, and the Alpha Gang! And if she doesn't leave my body, she'll make me do it. Please..."

Max hung his head down, sighing. She's like a sister to him, there's no way he could do that.

She's doing this to protect them...

He nodded.

"Max, no!" Zoe yelled, crying, "how can you agree? How can any of you be okay with this?!"

"Zoe, please... I'm sorry for being such a horrible sister recently, but I only wanted to keep you away to protect you. I'm not begging you for forgiveness; I'm only asking you to listen to me at least once."

"I can't...I can't do this..." Zoe was shaking her head, crying more and more.

"Come on, sis, it's not that hard. Once it's over, everything will be back to normal, I promise," Reese told her soothingly.

Zoe slowly took her communicator, her hands shaking. Mike and Rosie took her hands, helping her swipe the card. Spike, Max, and Rex summoned their dinosaurs as well.

The Triceratops, Styracosaurus, Carnotaurus, and Parasaurolophus appeared scanning the new area.

Then Max said, "we need you to direct your attacks at Reese..." All four looked at him confusedly, roaring disapprovingly. They had no other choice.

Their partners activated the move cards and they had to strike.

In her final moments, Reese's most honest smile formed on her face; it was so pure and beautiful. The smile that's been hiding for two years was there to say the last goodbye...

"Thank you, everyone... I love you all," she whispered right before the four attacks hit her.

Bright light and a huge impact filled the throne room. Everyone, who could, covered their eyes and when they opened them they saw a motionless body of a scientist that they knew; it was lying on the ground. Her golden locks were messy from the wind created by the attack and her fall. Her body was completely clean off Zepar's markings.

They stared at her, sobbing quietly. Zoe wanted to run to her, but her parents held her back, leaving Reese to rest. The dinosaurs howled in honor of the fallen one while Spike took his hat off with the same intentions.

Zoe stared down at Reese's glasses in her hands. She put them on her head as a sign of respect.

As they all stood there in sobs, suddenly, the dinosaurs were knocked away and turned into cards by some sort of wind.

"Chomp/Ace/Paris/Blitz!"

In the next moment, some vines wrapped around all of them except for Max. The vines couldn't touch him. Rex and Zoe accidentally dropped their communicators. "What in the world-?" He could only watch.

Then they heard that deep female voice, which they thought was gone forever, laugh. As a woman in a dark brown walked towards them from the shadows, she laughed louder and louder. They could soon see her true form, pale, wrinkly and scarred skin, long gray hair, small dark eyes; she was holding the Last Crystal.

"Zepar..."

 **"You like these vines? I was inspired by your little mistake that almost destroyed all humanity. Wait a minute-"** Zepar stopped, frowning at Max as the vines tried to tie him up, but backed away once they touched him. **"Oh, for my sake! You have that 'anime protagonist luck', don't you?!"**

"What...?" Max raised his eyebrows.

Zepar shrugged. **"Well, you can't do anything by yourself, so why do I even care?"**

"You're a liar," Aki growled.

 **"What exactly are you referring to now? You mean me dying if the creator dies while I'm inside her? No. That wasn't a lie. I simply left her body in time. And before you ask, she manipulated you into attacking her, not me."**

"We still killed her..." Zoe murmured.

 **"No. She's still alive; I protected her from the impact. I can't let such a flawless creation die, can I? No. I have different plans with her."**

"You can forget about that!" Max snapped at Zepar, "I won't let you do that."

A wide grin formed on Zepar's face, opening some of her recent scars. **"You really think you can stop me by yourself."** She summoned a knife in her hand, approaching the brunet. **"Are you scared, boy?"**

"Not at all."

She was close enough to stab him when somebody grabbed her hand, stopping it completely.

"Touch my family again and you'll regret," a calm female voice told her.

Zepar's grin convulsed. **"I knew I shouldn't have let you live, creator. I just couldn't help myself. I should have let you die."** She turned around quickly to face Reese.

"But you didn't."

 **"Do you think you stand a chance against me? I know everything about you. You're blind without your glasses."**

Zepar's quick punch made its way towards the scientist, however, she grabbed her fist, stopping it.

"I don't need glasses to your attacks. I know everything about you. While you were in my body, I analyzed your moves and thought process. I can predict your punches."

Zepar was trying to move her fist, but Reese held it in one place.

 **"How in the world-"**

"Did you know that descendants of the ones you've gifted can inherit their powers?" Reese smirked trickly, pissing Zepar off.

The queen decided to strike again.

Left

Right

Right

Reese managed to dodge any punch Zepar pulled off, even her kicks. The blonde was simply leaning to sides, bowing and occasionally backing away while keeping a straight face. She had an advantage not only of age but also of years of training in her reflexes and body movement. That's what Zepar adored about her; she wasn't like a normal human, she was special; as Zepar would call her even _angelic_.

Meanwhile, Max was attempting to free the others, pulling her vines to tear them up.

"Max, get them off," Rex told him.

"I'm trying! These things won't budge!"

At that moment, Reese was elegantly avoiding all attacks when she noticed the dinosaur cards lying on the ground. She quickly picked them up, but as she was about to dodge again, she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach right where her wound was. She held the source of pain.

Zepar kicked her and yanked one card. Then she pushed Reese into a corner.

The blonde panted, staring at her.

 **"Any last words?"**

"Y-yes..."

Zepar grabbed her throat.

"D...dino slash..." Reese chocked out as the card in Zepar's hand that was choking her started to glow.

A Parasaurolophus appeared, keeping Zepar away.

 **"How is that possible...?"**

Reese coughed slightly before taking her green scarf, pointing at a plate pinned to it.

"A fake metal plate?" Spike recognized it.

"I prefer the term 'replica', not a fake," Reese said, "you're so predictable, Zepar. I simply used your love of chocking against you."

"Reese, you're awesome," Zoe murmured in amaze.

Zepar grinned. **"You are perfect, Creator. I love you so much that it makes me hate you."**

Suddenly, the door burst open and a fireball flew at Zepar. From what they could see, her body turned to gas and materialized again. Next, the vines let go of the others as if something burnt them.

They looked to the back and saw a Megaraptor and Carcharodontosaurus with their partners.

"Drack..."

"M-Mary?"

The ginger immediately rushed to Rex. "I did great, didn't I, Rexy? I got rid off those vines with one of my potions. Don't I deserve a kiss?"

Rex stared at her, not sure if he should answer.

"Run. We'll take care of things here," Drack said.

They obeyed. Reese recalled Paris and followed them. The only one left was Nicolas, who got unstuck thanks to Mary. He insisted to stay with the Akuno members because he had some unfinished business.

The D-Team ran down a few floors, stopping soon since they all were tired.

"What now?" Rosie wondered.

"We should head to the D-lab," Spike suggested, "I'm sure someone's there."

Aki nodded and then noticed how strange Reese looks. The researcher was looking down in grim, sadder than she ever seemed, except for the time Zepar was inside her. "Um...Reese?"

She didn't react.

Zoe had an idea of what could cheer her up. She hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so glad you're back." However, when she looked up at her, she realized that it did nothing. Zoe even tried giving her the glasses back, but with the same result.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..." Reese shook her head. "We should go-" As she made a step forward, a pain called once again. "Ah-!" She covered her wound, trembling. "Not this again..." She leaned against a wall and slid down.

They gathered around her.

"Reese, what's going on?"

"...the wound...ugh-!" she hissed in pain, squeezing her eyes, "g-go ahead...I'll catch up with you later..."

"We can't leave you behind," Max objected.

"I doubt I'm able to walk for a while. I'd only slow you down..."

"You won't if you don't walk," Mike told her. She looked up to see him take the needle of his back. "You loved piggyback rides as a child. I can carry you."

"Dad, I'm not 5 anymore..."

—

Meanwhile, the Traveling Forces arrived at the D-lab.

"You sure about that, rockstar?"

"Yeah! They must be here."

Cole entered the code on the keypad and the door to the main room opened. He and Sue were in the lead and the only ones standing in the door. Once they could see the room, they gagged on their words as they stared at three adults in the room.

A young man in his 20's was at the main computer. His hair was smoky black and messy, his eyes were black and he was wearing a brown robe and had orange goggles on his head.

The older man was standing with his arms folded. Short light brunet hair, small dark blue eyes, wearing a blue jacket.

Finally the woman, she had short blonde hair and cyan eyes that were staring at the open door. Her wardrobe was colorful but nothing unusual at that time unlike her glasses, which was simply an oval piece of glass.

"Who on earth are you and how did you get here?!" Cole snapped.

The first one to react was Kyra who jumped in the room. "It's nice to meet someone new. I'm Kyra Komatsu."

Sue face-palmed herself. "How dumb can this chick be?"

"Hey, what's wrong?" The others peeked into the room.

Dr. Owen immediately gasped and screamed. "G-g-ghosts!"

"You know these guys, Foster?" Lucy wondered.

"I do, but... This can't be real..."

"Then how the hell are they here if it shouldn't be possible?" Sue growled suspiciously.

"Whoever they are, they're definitely one of those things," Cole said, referring to the searchers they met on the way here.

"We can't know that for sure," Amy told him.

"They're real," Alice said, walking in the room.

"Tell us who they are then."

"I know only two of them. It's pretty obvious when you look at them. Dr. Trias and Dr. Cretacia Ancient; Rex's biological parents."

Their eyes glimpsed at her and then at the Ancients.

"But then who is-"

"I know it's been 10 years, Dr. Owen, but it's me, Rod. Do I really look that different?" the black-haired asked.

"A little..."

"Wait, I've seen you guys before," Lucy remembered, "in Luminary! You were my sister's, Nora Miharu's, neighbors. That means...You must be real. You are still alive." There was a little bit of disgust in her voice as she said that; after all, the Ancients were supposed to be dead and they're right here.

Why are they still alive, but the others aren't?

What sort of universal luck do these two have that Komatsu and the rest didn't?

"Oh, we are 100% real!" Cretacia reacted, pointing at the scarlet-head offensively. "Or maybe 99.9%." She curled her finger around her chin. "Because this might be a dream and we don't realize it."

"Fine, back to the important stuff. Why are you here?" Cole wondered.

"We figured that the D-Team would be here," Trias replied.

"Same. Though it looks like they aren't here either. Oh, by the way, I'm Cole Taylor!" Cole grinned.

"That wasn't very hard to figure out," Trias told him, "we've heard a lot about you from Rex."

"Welp, I am just that awesome."

"And don't forget to add how modest you are..." Sue smirked teasingly.

"Yeah, that too."

"Susan Ogata. I classify myself as Zoe's and Amy's bodyguard." The brunette pointed at her friend.

"I'm Lucy Komatsu," the scarlet-haired woman said, "one of my daughters already introduced herself, so I won't repeat. And this is Alice." She pointed at the girl in a black jacket.

"Guys, I thought we wanted to contact the others, not chitchat," Kyra reminded them.

"Right!" Everyone got in the room and the door closed behind them.

"We were just about to do that," Rod informed them, "but I can't figure out the password."

"Oh, step away." Sue pushed him away from the computer. "I practically already live with the Drakes; I should know Little Genius' password." She typed in her only idea. Amy was peeking over her shoulder. Sue pressed enter, smirking triumphantly, but the text on the monitor swiped it away.

'Incorrect password

Please, try again'

"Welp, apparently Reese and I don't share a password."

"Yeah, you should know," Cole mocked her.

Amy looked at her. "Zoe's full name is your password?" That question made Sue blushed. "Maybe..."

"Can I try?" Kyra wondered.

Sue shrugged. "We don't have another option I guess."

Kyra got to the computer, typing. Everything booted up once she hit the enter key. The rest glanced at her surprisedly. The fake blonde chuckled. "Justin has some passwords written on a sticky note in his bedroom."

Rod then attempted to use one of the programs and call anyone he could, but everything resulted in static. "Damn it! It's jammed."

"Just like our phones and communicators," Amy murmured, "it seems to be in the whole city."

"The whole city..."

"The only jammer of this rage in this era is-"

"On the Backland," Rod interrupted Trias when he realized.

"The time machine?"

"That spaceship thing?" Lucy wondered, turning to Trias, "it's flying over the woods. You built that thing; you should get on board."

"Should... I cannot access it without a device connected to it."

"The only ones who have access to the Backland are Spike, Reese, and agent Shinori then," Foster remembered.

"Yeah, but they're who knows where and we can't call them because of that jammer thingy. It's a cursed cycle," Sue groaned, "they could be in that castle that's floating above the city."

"They can't be that dumb to go right in a trap looking castle," Cole said.

"Cole, have you met your father?" Lucy asked him, "they'd possibly do that."

Alice was standing away from the crowd with her hoodie over her head, holding one of her drawing books.

"Um, Alice? How did recognize us?" Cretacia asked her, "we've never met."

"Uh...Thanks to this..." Alice touched her chest and a dark red light came out of her, materializing into a crystal. "This thing allows me to see the past and future. I've seen you two a few times. And...it helped me. Your energy is so unique and infectious and I guess it inspired me."

The blonde looked down at her curiously.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ancient, I'm talking too much-"

"No, no, no! Not at all; it's fine. And, please, call me Cretacia."

"Okay... I didn't need the crystal to realize you two are Rex's parents; it's pretty obvious. Rex has your hair and eye-shape and his father's beautiful eye-color and calm attitude."

"Interesting observation."

Kyra slid behind her little sister. "Ally knows these details about Rex because she draws him a lot!" She yanked the book from Alice's arms, showing it to Cretacia.

The blonde listed through the book. It didn't take her long to figure everything out. She gasped and started jumping around Alice.

"You're Rex's girlfriend!"

Alice blushed and pulled ears on her hoodie, whimpering. "...n-no...I mean not yet...I mean-!"

Cretacia grabbed her shoulders. "You two would be perfect together! I'd love to have you as my daughter-in-law."

The brunette's face turned red, grumbling non-sensical words.

"She's right!" Dr. Owen agreed, "Alice, you and Rex work amazingly together. After all, it was you who saved him from Mary's spell."

"N-no...T-that wasn't really the case..."

"It was! You saved him."

"M-maybe...I only understood how he felt when he blamed himself for the death of his parents, nothing more... Yeah, I taught him to paint, but he..."

"He still enjoys meeting up with you!" Kyra added happily.

Alice blushed more. "I guess... I enjoy it too; for some reason, when he's around I have no problem to speak."

"But you speak normally with me," Cretacia pointed out.

Alice nodded. "Maybe because I know he is partly like you. He really helped me..." She smiled softly.

"Then it's set! After this is over, we'll arrange the wedding!" Cretacia said. Those words were enough to make Alice faint right there.

"I think that's a little too much," Trias told her.

"It was meant to be a joke..." The blonde pouted.

As they were embarrassing Alice, the rest of the group discussed how to call the others.

"We could try smoke signals," Cole suggested.

"I think we should just wait," Rod objected.

Sue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, they're going to magically appear in the door." Right as those words left her mouth, the door opened. "What the hell?!"

In the entrance of the room was standing none other than a girl most of them know as Kami Ike. The rest either didn't recognize her or they knew her under a different name.

She and Rod were staring at each other, trying to say the other's name. Suddenly, Kami ran to him in tears.

"Rod!"

"Laura!"

They hugged one another tightly.

"I can't believe this..." Laura sobbed, "I thought...I thought you were dead..."

"Same, sis. I'm so glad to have you back."

They pulled away. "This is amazing," they said at once, chuckling at the coincidence, "how did you survive?"

"Zepar. Her powers make me practically immortal," Laura explained.

"Time travel. Not long after I lost you, one of the time warps appeared and I ended up here a few months back."

Cole stayed back, uncharacteristically silent. It was an awkward situation for him to see her.

Somebody had to ask that question, so Sue did. "How do we know we can trust you?"

Laura looked at her, pointing at the place the Cosmos Stone used to be. "I am not under Zepar's control anymore."

Sue titled her head. "I guess..."

Amy whispered something to her.

"You sure?"

The smaller girl nodded.

"Amy says that she saw something that resembles your Saichania near the Taylors' house. Any idea where the D-Team is?" Sue wondered.

"Um... You've seen that castle above the city?" Laura said nervously.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Sue sighed.

Lucy crossed her arms. "What did I tell you?"

"It is dangerous, but they went there to save Reese," Laura said.

"Little Genius' there?! Alright, rockstar! Let's go find them."

"I was just about to say that!" Cole nodded as he headed to the door with Sue.

"It's too dangerous," Foster tried to warn them.

"We'll be right back!" Cole grinned.

Once they got to the door, it suddenly opened and they saw the whole team in the corridor.

"You're okay!" Cole and Sue gasped, crying. They embraced Max and Zoe respectively.

"Kid, you're fine..."

"Girl, we were worried..."

"Yeah, we're alright." Max grinned at his brother. Then his happy grin vanished and his eyes glanced behind him. Reese was standing in the back, still looking grim.

"Who else is here?" Rex asked, peeking over Sue's shoulder to see who is in the room. "Dad, Alice-ugh...! Huh...?" His blue eyes fell at the man and woman standing next to his friend.

"H-how...? You're supposed to be...dead..." he murmured with a shaky voice.

Cole and Sue stepped from the doorway, so everyone can see the Ancients. They stared in shock to spot the dead.

Tears filled up his eyes and he ran to his parents to hug them. They both hugged him back.

Alice smiled at her crush's happiness; it was a heartwarming moment.

"How did you survive?" Rex asked them, "I saw you die."

His mother stroked his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

"It's unbelievable and hard to explain," his father replied, "I'd say it's magic if I didn't know better. _She_ called it a healing potion."

"She?"

"The girl that saved us. Slim body, black hair, red irises, a scar over her right eye."

"A scar over her eye?" Rex repeated, knowing that description, "Dark. That's what she wanted to tell me..."

"After we were healed, she told us to go through the time warp and hide in Luminary to stay alive. We headed here once we noticed anomalies happening."

"It's amazing to have you back..." The blond hung his head down, realizing that everything he's done was really pointless.

Everyone else walked into the room.

Rod, who they didn't recognize, caught their attention. He noticed that. "Hey, don't you remember me, guys?" he chuckled.

"You're really enjoying being taller than them, Rod, don't you?" Laura asked her brother.

"Rod?!" They gasped.

The young man smirked and shrugged. "Time travel; what more can I say?"

Meanwhile, Reese walked to the side, looking out of the window.

"Ree!" Kyra followed her with a wide smile on her face. She saw that her friend doesn't wear her glasses. She glanced at Zoe who had them.

"She doesn't want them back," Zoe answered.

Kyra frowned and remembered something. She grabbed a pair of glasses in one drawer. "I know you always have a spare pair somewhere." She headed back to Reese. "Here!"

The scientist didn't even look at her when she tried to hand her the glasses.

"Ree?"

Kyra poked her cheek, getting no reaction.

"Um...Ree...? What's wrong?" She bit her lip worriedly.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake and a huge blast from the woods waved over the place, cracking the windows.

Once it all stopped, Reese's eyes widened. Kyra noticed and looked in the same direction; a horrified expression took over her face as she saw a giant black Pterosaur flying above the forest. "That thing again..."

"The Dark Pterosaur."

"This is...This is Zepar's true from," escaped Laura's mouth, "this is what we stand against."

"We'll just do what you did the last time!" Cole suggested.

"Right! We'll get others here and attack her with everything we've got," Sue agreed.

"That's just reckless and utterly stupid," a calm voice said before Drack and Mary formed in the room.

"You bastards?!"

Like a bullet, Lucy shot at them, grabbing Mary by the collar of her pink cape. "How dare even show up here?!" she growled, crying, her hands shaking.

"W-what...?"

"Have you forgotten how you gave my husband a love potion to control him and then killed him without a care in the world?!"

"Oh...You know about it...?" Mary started to sweat.

"Of course I do!" Lucy yelled at her.

Mary's cape ripped off and she fell down as Spike pulled Lucy away.

"You think I wanted to kill him?! Or anyone else?!" Mary snapped, "Zepar forced us to do that! I loved him just as much as you did! I've never wanted this life! There hasn't been a single day I wouldn't regret killing him and Phoeb!"

"Do you really think care?" Lucy wondered, pulling out her lighter, lighting it up, "I have no problem with burning you two alive. I'll just need a little help, Ogata."

"Oh, with pleasure, teach," Sue said, summoning her crystal, pointing it at the siblings. "This is for everything, you bastards."

Drack grinned mockingly. "Do whatever you want. Death is still better than life with Zepar and I'll welcome it with open arms."

"You may appreciate it, but I don't!" Mary objected and got up, "I'm too beautiful to die!"

Sue's crystal glowed and the fire grew bigger. Mary screamed and hid behind Drack.

"Leave them alone," Laura told Lucy and Sue, "they aren't worth it."

"Shut the hell up!" Sue snapped.

Amy grabbed her hand. "Don't do anything you'd regret."

"...girl..." Sue slowly lowered her arm.

Lucy knew that without the fire crystal her threats are useless; she gave up.

"We aren't begging you for forgiveness," Drack said, "we aren't here as your enemies or allies; we only have the same enemy."

"Why so suddenly?"

"Zepar is now by herself," Laura realized, "now that I was freed, she has no servants that would take a hit for her."

"Speaking of that, where is Nicolas?" Max asked Drack and Mary.

"Oh, Komatsu Jr. got kinda captured," Mary replied nervously, "he caused it himself. He's lustful for revenge. Wonder who he's got that from...?" She commented, glimpsing at Lucy. The red-head pulled out her lighter again, making her gulped.

"How can we trust you?" Zoe wondered.

"I am not surprised you don't trust us. I wouldn't trust her either," Drack admitted, pointing at Mary.

"Hey!"

"I think we should trust them," Amy said, receiving a strange glare from Sue.

"I think so too," Rex agreed.

Mary gasped and rushed to the blond. "Rexy, you trust me?"

Cretacia and Alice stepped in front of Rex, keeping the ginger away from him.

"If you dare touch a single hair on his head, well, then we'll cut off every last one of yours!" the brunette told her.

Recognizing that sentence, Cretacia gasped and wrapped her arms around Alice, holding her tightly with tears of happiness in her eyes. "I love you so much, Ali!"

"Anyway, you need any help you can get if you want to defeat Zepar," Drack said with irritation.

"As we already established, we'll find the rest and beat the hell out of her just like it was the last time," Sue growled.

"We can't. This isn't the same as the last time," Laura started explaining, "after the Cosmos Stones were destroyed, the Pterosaur restored the stone plates to keep herself alive which meant restoring one Cosmos Stone and keeping Zepar alive as well. She can't be defeated just by putting the plates together. This time she gets her power from a human creation, the Last Crystal. It was created-"

"By me," Reese suddenly spoke up. They all looked at her.

"Ree?"

"I brought her back two years ago. Everything's my fault. All the deaths are on me..."

"Ree? What are you talking about?"

"Laura's right, this isn't the same as the last time. Zepar has no weakness. The Last Crystal can replicate powers of all the original crystals; physical attacks can't hurt her. Calling everyone else to fight her would be their death. Rationally thinking, our only chance is giving her what she wants."

"But that means she'd kill us and that won't happen," Spike objected.

"Giving up to her is still better than letting everyone else die in a pointless battle. She only wants the ones that witnessed her rise and fall. Any reinforcements would only mean more wasted lives," Reese continued with a monotone voice, "Zepar won't stop until she gets her revenge. After that, she'll leave everyone live as long as they obey her."

"What you're saying is that 13 of you will kamikaze yourselves, taking the Alpha Gang possibly with you and leaving the rest of us in a world ruled by _her_?!" Cole asked angrily.

"To save your lives."

"Yeah, by killing his whole family," Sue snapped at the scientist, "and mine too! That's just fucked up! That's insane...!"

"There's a thin line between being genius and insane."

They all objected against Reese's plan except for Alice who stayed quiet and Drack, Mary and Laura who knew she was right about Zepar's abilities.

"Are you really that dumb?" Drack wondered, his arms folded, "Zepar is an immortal being; you can't defeat her. Sacrificing a few souls for the sake of saving millions? I think the answer is obvious."

"Shut the hell up! You're not the one losing a family here!"

"You think?" He glared at her seriously.

Sue growled and turned to Alice. "Why don't you say something? You know what we should do to win!"

"That's...not how it works, Sue," Alice replied, "I can't just tell you what to do. I'm not the one to make that choice. Our future's formed by our own actions affected by our personalities and experiences, not by some script. If I tell what you should do it won't be the same way as if you decided. I can use the crystal to check details that might be needed, but not to tell you what to do to win, those are your choices to make and I am just a silent viewer."

She was right; one of them had to make a choice to move this argument and she decided to be the one. Kyra looked at Reese and then at her own wrists wrapped by bandages.

"Ally? By those experiences..." Her hand shook, so she had to hold it. "Do you mean everything that happened to us?" she asked her little sister.

"Everything." Alice nodded. "Our stories are what makes us who we are now, after all."

Kyra frowned determinately at her wrists and took the bandages off, revealing her scars. She took Reese's hands.

"Kyra, what are you doing?" Reese asked her.

"What I should be doing," Kyra replied and hugged her friend tightly. She started humming a cheerful melody Reese hummed a few times two or three years ago.

The blonde was about to push her away, but that song calmed her down.

Kyra pulled away. "I know you only want to keep the rest of us safe, but we're in this together, we're a team. Not to mention how horrible the future would be without you all for us. I know that feeling of preferring death over life without a person I love. You were the one who kept me alive this whole time. There's always hope; that's what you told me when I first hurt myself..."

"Where are you going with this?"

"No matter what you say, we won't let you go against her alone and give up. I might not be the strongest, but I am stronger thanks to you, thanks to that Reese I've known." Kyra looked down at the glasses she was holding. "Your true beauty is so easily seen without your glasses, but that takes the charm I love away." She put Reese's glasses where they belong, fixing her strand with one finger. "Better."

Reese could suddenly see Kyra's bright smile. The fake blonde stroked her cheek. "I'll follow you until the end."

"Kyra..." Reese closed her eyes, sighing and touching the green scarf around her neck. She opened her eyes with words that made everyone look at her happily. "Fine; we can try."

"Really?"

"Yes, however, that still doesn't change the fact that we can't defeat Zepar."

Drack rolled his eyes. "She can't be defeated. Going up against her is certain death. She cannot be hurt by physical attacks. She turns her body into gas to dodge the same way we teleport."

"Wait, is it exactly the same as your teleportation?" Trias asked him.

"Exactly the same."

His eyes widened and he looked at his wife and Rod hopefully. The boy understood immediately and pulling something that resembled a metal sword handle from his bag.

"If that's the case, there really is still some hope."

"Yeah! We've been working on this weapon since we 'died'," Cretacia started, "once it is powered, it can turn any gas into solid when it's stabbed, stopping the sublimation and reversing it!"

"We wanted to have a way to fight before going here," Trias explained, looking at Drack.

"You created this because I tried to kill you?" Drack wondered. The Ancients nodded.

"Everything has its reason," Rex remembered, turning to Alice. The brunette nodded.

"We only need a power source that would be enough against Zepar."

Reese's eyes were fixed on the metal handle. She suddenly gasped. "That's it! Kyra, get your crystal ready. Alice, find the exact measurements of the Black Cosmos Stone."

"What do you need those for?" Foster wondered.

"I have a plan."

"You've just found out about this weapon," Mike said, "and you already have a plan?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out." Rod gave Reese the handle. "The kids mentioned that Spartacus powered his sword by putting the Yellow Cosmos Stone inside it. We can use the black one in the same way. It is Zepar's own power, but if we store all 16 crystals inside it, we can defeat her. She can't touch the crystals or stone plates; that's why she needed a vessel."

"Reese, you're a genius," Aki told her.

"No... I only have the right information."

Alice walked to Reese and Kyra with a sketch on the stone in her book.

"Kyra, are you able to replicate this shape?"

"Sure thing, Ree!" Kyra took the handle, book and summoned her crystal, getting to work.

"This means we need that Cosmos Stone," Sue spoke up.

"It's still on the Backland," Laura said, "I... shouldn't have left it there..."

"Fine, I'll go take it," the brunette decided, "and fix the communication issues."

Alice showed her a sketch of the jammer.

"Pull this thing and the jamming should stop," Reese told Sue, giving her a device on her wrist, "once you're right below the Dark Pterosaur press the button, you'll be taken on board of the Backland."

"Easy!" Sue smirked.

"Hey, Ogata!" Lucy called her, tossing her a lighter.

"Um, teach, isn't this encouraging students in smoking? Won't you get in trouble for this?" Sue joked.

"No, if you keep your mouth shut. You'll need a source of fire for your crystal."

The brunette nodded.

"Sue, it's dangerous," Zoe told her best friend, "it's so reckless and dumb to go right to her."

"Yeah, and who else would do that?" Sue wondered.

"Um... I dunno, me?" Cole added with a 'duh' tone.

"Hell no. Rockstar, you stay here and make sure everyone's safe." Sue walked over to him, poking his chest with every word.

He grinned. "Hey, Ice Queen, have I ever disappointed you?"

She frowned playfully. "Not even Little Genius can count that high."

They stared at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.

"No worries, icicle."

"I know, primadonna."

They bumped their fists together.

"Do you really think it's a good idea?" Zoe wondered.

"No, but I'm sure I can do it! I won't be alone, girl. I'll have Annie with me."

"And Hana and I too," a soft voice as Sue felt someone taking her hand. She turned back to see Amy.

"Oh, hell no, girl! You're too precious for this world."

"I can't let you go alone. Sue, please..."

Sue looked at her nervously as Amy used her puppy dog eyes.

"Fine! But be careful..."

Amy nodded.

"No!" Zoe objected, "I've seen what Zepar's capable of, you don't stand a chance."

"Well, if I really see you for the last time then..." Amy said, "...there's something I'd like to do." She kissed Zoe's cheek, making her blush.

"Amy..."

She smiled shyly.

Sue rolled her eyes and groaned "screw it", before grabbing Zoe's shoulders and pulling her closer. She kissed the pink-haired, standing on her tiptoes.

Zoe actually kissed her back after a while.

When they pulled away they noticed the surprised glares from everyone.

"Head after us once that thing is finished," Sue said.

"Right." Zoe nodded. "Take care you two."

"No need to worry, girl!" Sue and Amy left. Zoe waved at them, smiling and blushing.

"What was that about?" Max asked her, his face red.

"What? Are you jealous?"

"No! O-of course not!"

Zoe smirked. "At least now you know how I felt about you and Rex with Zahrah."

"Ugh-!"

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Uh-I-Ice Queen is...Um...You know..." Cole stuttered.

"Moment, no one of you knew about Ogata and Stone having a crush on Zoe?" Lucy wondered.

Alice glanced at her. "Um... do you have a gaydar?"

"Yes! That one." Lucy pointed at Kyra. "Also my gaydar goes off when I talk to Aki."

"What...?"

"Um, Reese? Is it okay if I ask you what actually happened? Why did create that crystal?" Rod questioned.

Reese took a deep breath, preparing to start explaining. "A day after Zepar was first defeated, I found a part of the gas she's made out of here. I ran some tests on it, expanding that power. It took the form of a crystal; she appeared and I realized I brought back the demon I was supposed to protect the owners from... Dr. Taylor was the only one who knew because of his timing. He promised me to keep everything a secret as long as I'll be the one to explain it, but I've never told anyone... I was too scared... I don't even know of what... That fear got me into a situation she wanted me in. After she attacked me, I was vulnerable and she took advantage of that. Zepar offered me to heal me in an exchange of my body. I saw my chance of getting to see her way of thinking and I agreed. But..." She placed her hand on her wound. "I think I'd agree even without a plan... I know... it's stupid, however, when she was inside me, I didn't feel any pain... It's so dumb..." She shook her head.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "That's understandable. If I were you, I'd possibly agree as well, no matter how stupid decision it would be," her mother told her.

"This didn't have to happen... I created the crystal to make everything come back..." Reese turned to her little sister. "That's what you wanted. I played with too much power to make you happy... I'm sorry..."

"It's not as stupid as wanting to bring dead people back to life," Rex reassured her.

"I'm not so sure about that..."

"Done!" Kyra exclaimed, holding the handle up.

"Good. Zoe, can I borrow your stone plate with the crystal inside it?" Reese asked.

Zoe nodded and did as told.

Reese put the stone plate into the place the metal crystal made and it closed. She pressed the button on it and a green blade glowed up from the handle.

"That thing's a lightsaber?!" Max gasped.

"I suggest testing this thing out on me," Drack spoke up.

"No way!" Laura objected.

"Tch. It can't kill me, so what's the big deal? I'm sure there are a lot of you who would love to try this out on me, but..." Drack looked at Mike. "I suppose the best one for the job is you, Mike."

"You can't be serious," Mike murmured.

"Do I look like I'm joking? You don't have to feel guilty about this."

Mike sighed and took the weapon.

Drack forced part of his body to sublimate, turning it into gas. Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath before stabbing the boy. Drack's body immediately materialized and Mike pulled the sword that was covered in dust rather than blood out. The wound from the sword slowly healed.

"Heh, I am an old man," Drack chuckled, "I'm ash already, I'm only missing an urn."

"We have only a part of Zepar's power inside us, but if this worked, all 16 crystals are definitely going to work against her," Mary cheered.

Laura nodded. "Exactly. I'll take the sword and do the job, while you and your dinosaurs will strike once I hit her."

"Laura, no. That's too dangerous," Rod told her.

"I am the only one who can get close enough to her to do that."

"I can't lose you again..."

"I'll be fine, I promise." She smiled reassuringly at her brother.

—

 **Holy dino! This is the longest chapter, I don't even know how I've managed that. I don't know what to tell you about this...**

 **I hope you enjoyed and see you next time!**


	24. Time Defender

**Warning, this chapter contains uncomfortable and disturbing scenes.**

—

Sue, Amy, and their dinosaurs were searching for the cosmos stone and the jammer on the board of the Backland.

"Wow, this place is huge," Amy awed.

"Yeah, but that's the problem..." Sue sighed. "I'm pretty sure we've passed this door before." She looked around, pointing at the only door in the corridor.

"How can you tell? Everything seems the same to me..."

"A gut feeling."

"Good... Maybe we can try the door?" Amy suggested.

"Great idea!" Sue grabbed the doorknob, but couldn't move the door an inch. "Damn it!"

"Maybe we need a password?"

"Wait! I remember that Zoe mentioned something once. We gotta give it a try." Sue turned to the door with a serious expression. "Open, Sesame!"

"Um, really...?" Amy stared at her in irritation. But then the door started to open. "...wow..."

Annie and Hana walked into the room.

"Hell yes!"

"Do you think that Dr. Cretacia came up with that?"

"Oh, definitely!"

Suddenly, they heard a deep hum approaching them.

Sue took Amy's hand and pulled her in the room, the door closing behind them.

They heard the humming getting close alongside slow footsteps; they stopped. **"I know you're here. You can't hide from me."** Zepar then continued walking.

The girls sighed in relief and observed the room they were in; it was a cockpit. The whole city could be seen from there. They walked to some control panels and typed something in, making camera recordings and a map of the place appear.

"Here's that jammer!" Sue pointed at one screen.

"And here's the stone!" Amy noticed, looking at another screen.

"According to the map, they aren't that far. Let's go!"

They peeked from the room, making sure that the coast is clear. They headed to the elevator and got in the engine room to turn the jammer off. After that, they went to grab the cosmos stone.

Amy took the capsule with the stone. As soon as she did, a woman formed in the room.

"Zepar...?"

 **"Aren't you a little young to be a superhero?"** the woman asked.

"Aren't you a little old to be alive?" Sue asked back, stepping in front of Amy, "look, old lady, I'd fight you, but even I respect old people."

Zepar chuckled. **"Old lady? Tch... Is that all you can say?"**

"Stay the hell away from Amy!" Sue growled.

Zepar's eyes glanced at the girl behind her. **"She means nothing to me; she's useless. I need you, your stone plate."**

"Never."

 **"We'll do it the hard way, I see."**

"Amy, run," Sue told her friend.

"I won't leave you!"

"Now's not the time for a heartwarming speech. Get out of here!"

Amy took her hand. "I'm staying with you."

—

The others were meanwhile walking towards the Backland. The Dark Pterosaur was gone as she turned into her human form.

Max was trying to contact Justin when it suddenly worked. "The jammer's turned off!" he gasped. The rest looked over his shoulders. Justin's face appeared on the screen.

"Guys! The communication works again!"

"Justin! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Kyra asked him.

"Yes, I am. I am with the Sakura Group," he replied.

"Is anyone else there?" Alice wondered.

Her little brother nodded. "The Shinoris and Cruz are also here."

"That is everyone," Rex pointed out.

"Can we speak to Agent Shinori?" Spike spoke up.

Sora pushed Justin away and looked through the screen. "Here!"

"Sora, we need you to lead everyone on board of the Backland and meet us in the engine room."

"Sure thing!"

The call ended and they continued walking.

"Um, Mike?"

Dr. Drake glanced at Drack. "What do you want?"

"I know that this might not be the best time, but... I'd like to explain myself."

"You don't have to say anything. I've heard enough. You returned in the Akuno because of Zepar's threats and she punished you; that's why you're like this."

"I've fallen in love with Vivian and I still _do_ love her—Zepar can't take that away, no matter how much she tortures me. I've promised myself to never forget her; have you ever noticed how similar 'Drack' is to 'Drake'? I've taken her last name, changing it slightly. I'm sure you don't even care. I've hurt your family enough, it was my punishment after all. But note this; Zepar's punishments are always meant to hurt us not you."

"Drack?"

"What?"

Mike inhaled, preparing to say something. His fists were shaking; he couldn't say it. "...nothing..."

Meanwhile, Kyra kept her eyes on Rod and was uncomfortably close. Laura knew that blushing cheeky face she was making.

"Oh no, Kyra! Not my brother!"

"Huh...? Why not...?"

Lucy sighed. "Kyra, please, let him at least be your age before you flirt..."

Kyra pouted, then her eyes fell on Laura. "Kami!"

"Oh, forget about that! She said your age..."

"You aren't 16?" Kyra titled her head.

"No..." Laura rubbed the back of her head. "That's just the form I've decided to keep. I'm actually 116."

"116?!" the others wondered.

She chuckled.

"So, you're the old lady now," Zoe joked, making some people including Laura laugh.

Cole blinked a few times. "You still look hot though, Kamila."

Laura blushed.

"And you still wonder why I'm mad at you..." Kyra murmured.

"But she kissed me!" Cole objected.

"You what?" Rod turned to his sister.

"I had to. Zepar sent me to get close to Kyra and I had to make her somehow stay away from me myself. Since Kyra's sweetheart, this was the only way. I wouldn't kiss him, not my type."

"Thanks..." Cole groaned.

Similarly to her brother, even Mary tried to make peace with someone.

"So-"

"Get away from me," Lucy told her immediately.

The ginger frowned and walked away.

Lucy suddenly coughed, her knees got weak. Somebody wrapped their arms around her, helping her stand. There was one person on her mind who would do that, but when she looked at them she saw someone different. "S...Foster...?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah... I'm fine..." She smiled at him weakly. She took a deep breath and managed to stand.

In the other part of the group, Laura sighed. "It'll be nice to go back home after such a long time..."

"Yeah, 8 years is a long time," Rod agreed, but then realized what he said, "oh...108 for you...Sorry."

"It's okay. It doesn't feel like that much when I look back at it..."

"The question is if we'll ever be able to go back," Trias said.

"Right..."

"The Backland might be operational after some repairs, however, it cannot travel through time without the stone plates that would get destroyed if we defeat the Dark Pterosaur."

"Zepar is able to create time warps, but it takes a lot of her energy; that's why she'd rather use the stone plates," Laura explained, "that also isn't a possibility. And those random time warps can take to who knows where. We might have to stay here."

As sad as this situation seemed to her, Rex and Alice felt happy and smiled at each other. Cretacia noticed their happiness; Rex doesn't have to be without his friends, while Alice has a chance with him.

Reese had her hand on her wound, trying to suppress the pain.

Rosie touched her shoulder. "We can slow down or stop if you need to."

"No. I can handle this."

"Please, don't be stubborn..."

"I'm fine-ugh!" Suddenly, a stabbing pain ran through Reese's body; she stopped and almost fell down. Her mother supported her.

"Reese..."

"What's wrong?" the others wondered.

"That wound hurts her again," Rosie told them, "go ahead without us."

"But, Rose-"

"Go. You don't need us and Reese must rest."

Mike nodded.

"...wait-!" Reese groaned, her face cringed with pain. She took the metal plate of her scarf and gave it to Rod. "...it might be handy..."

"Thanks."

"You don't have to stay behind. We'll just wait," Zoe said.

"...I'll only slow you down...you...don't need us to finish it..."

"We'll join you as soon as we can," Rosie reassured her.

"Okay..."

They continued walking.

Reese leaned her back on a tree.

The rest stopped when they were at the place.

"That's it?" Cole wondered.

"Just wait," Spike told him, looking for a device in his pockets, "hm...?" He couldn't find it. "Huh?! Where is it?!"

Aki poked his shoulder. "Spike?"

He looked at her.

"You gave it to me with words 'I would lose it, please, be kind and carry it for me', remember?" she reminded him, waving with the device.

He hugged her. "You are amazing!"

She smiled at him.

He took the device, pressed a button and they were all transported on the Backland.

Cole gasped. "This is awesome!"

"Yeah, but we gotta find Amy and Sue before Zepar does," Alice spoke up.

"Right."

Drack summoned his Megaraptor in a chibi form. "Mahin, can you smell anyone close?" he asked him.

The Megaraptor sniffed around and rushed after a smell he got; the rest followed him.

They ran through several rooms and corridors when they noticed something strange on the ground. Red drops were on the floor. Their first assumption was obvious.

"Blood..."

"This could be an illusion," Mary pointed out, but some of them didn't listen.

"Amy! Sue!" Zoe followed the trail of blood. She soon saw someone sitting on the floor; they seemed unconscious. She knew that brunet hair in twin tails. "Sue!" She knelt to her friend. "Sue! Wake up! Please!"

"Ice Queen..."

"Wake up, Sue..."

"Ugh-" Sue inhaled a little and opened her eyes, spotting an indescribable beauty. "Girl...? Heh... And I thought I'd go to hell when I die..."

Zoe sighed in relief, smiling. "Oh, Sue..." She hugged her tightly and pecked her cheek.

"Girl..." Sue blushed.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Sue murmured, smirking weakly, "that old hag challenged us." She stood up hardly. Zoe supported her. "We turned off the jammer and grabbed the stone. Annie and Hana had no chance against her, so we called them back. I told Amy to run when Zepar attacked me." She pointed at a deep scratch on her right side. "She used the same thing as with Reese, so I knew what to expect. Amy got away to safety... While I...had to stop the bleeding..."

"You cauterized it with fire..." Mike realized.

"It was the only way. It hurt... a lot. Reese's was worse though."

Kyra took a look at the wound. "You're right, it is sealed by fire."

"I had a source of fire... So, not a big deal. Here, teach." Sue gave the lighter back to Lucy.

"I don't need that anymore. I...don't have a _reason_ to smoke."

"I don't give a damn; it's still yours and you might need it."

"Thanks..."

"Do you know where Amy could be?" Zoe asked Sue.

"Not a clue..."

Rex and Alice frowned thoughtfully and then looked at each other. "Tashi!" Alice summoned her dino and the Pachycephalosaurus immediately rushed after the sense of the black cosmos stone. The others followed her. She was scratching at one door.

"Amy, are you in there? Amy?"

The doorknob moved slowly and the door opened. Amy was standing in a small room, holding the capsule with the stone.

"You're okay!"

She hugged her best friends tightly.

"Are you hurt?" she worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, really," Sue reassured her.

"I...I shouldn't have run away..."

"Hell no. She'd attack you too! I wouldn't forgive myself."

Cole clapped. "Great to see you happy and together again, but we gotta go to the engine room or wherever. And you still owe me that soda, Ice Queen."

"Not now!"

"Okay..."

—

Reese and Rosie were sitting under a tree, waiting until the pain fades away.

"Does that woman have an effect on you because she was in your body?" Rosie wondered.

"Y-yeah...in a sense. Up until the point of our separation, we share memories. When we merged, I could see her whole mind, I know everything she did at that moment; the same with her."

"I see... So, she knows everything about us as well."

"Exactly. I...understand her. She and her sister were the first living beings in the whole universe; she wished to have the Earth, but her sister took it from her. Zepar decided to own a different planet; the one the Space Pirates once called home. She was their goddess. Her creations turned out differently than expected, selfish, arrogant, dominate. Both Pterosaurs are the same as their creations. Zepar was disgusted and killed all of them excluding four individuals, the Space Pirates.

They each represented what she adored so much.

The desire for power, strength, dedication, brain, and beauty.

She made them worship her and give the power that belongs to her. The cosmos stones were about to hit the Earth and make dinosaurs, the sister's creations, extinct, when the pirates were in reach of them. That impact formed not only the stone plates but also the crystals. Zepar took over, creating her masterpiece, humankind. However, they turned out to be even worse than the pirates' race. She hates us. What also adds to the hatred is the fact that her sister took on the life of a human being. She became a woman known as Ronwe Grey.

Zepar made sure that such a betrayal won't go unpunished. She managed to destroy Ronwe's human form and as the Greyholt legend says, she asked Sikers to give him his daughter. Zepar saw Harc as a perfect human due to her mother being a goddess. When given the wrong one, Zepar tried to make a perfect being out of Laura, but it wasn't as she imagined.

Once she met me...I guess she saw potential in me. She calls me her perfect creation. Smart, strong, beautiful, dedicated. But I'm nowhere near perfect..."

"You've made a mistake, but that doesn't make you a bad person," Rosie reassured her, "I knew that I can trust you when I made you a guardian; you'd do anything for Zoe and the crystals."

Reese was about to reply when a Dimetrodon ran to them, nuzzling her. "Karo?"

They noticed that a group is heading towards them.

A small brunet boy gasped and rushed to them. "Reese! What are you two doing here?"

"Justin..." The blonde smiled softly.

"Your coat is destroyed..."

The rest caught up with him. "Hey, where are the others?" Ema wondered.

"On the board of the Backland," Rosie replied, "we had to stop because of Reese's injury."

"Injury?!" Dark gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine; it's an old wound."

"So, you're going to catch up with us?" Niki asked.

"Maybe."

"You have the device with you, right?" Sora wondered.

"Actually...no."

"Then how are you gonna get up there?! We might be in the middle of the fight, so we won't be able to teleport you on board."

Reese glanced back at Justin and his laptop and communicator. "There might be a certain way. Justin, you could log into the main computer in the engine room and connect it to your communicator. You can just get us on board once I call you on the phone."

"Me...? I'm not really sure."

"No way, bud, you can do it!" Andy cheered him up.

"That's right; if there's anyone who can do it, it's you, Justin. I trust you."

"You do?"

Reese nodded proudly.

"Wait, the Backland is technologically advanced, how would he be able to even understand the programming of that?" Den asked.

"Because he is the second-best for the job."

Justin chuckled softly, blushing.

"I know you are, Justin. If you have trouble with it, there are people who will help you."

"Thank you for believing in me. I will not disappoint you, I promise!"

"And what about you? Do you have any way to defend yourselves?" Sabi questioned.

Rosie shook her head.

"You should," Cruz told her, "Zepar can send strong searchers or worse beast searchers; no human has a chance against those without a weapon. We can stay here with you."

"No, you are needed in the battle."

Zakuro sighed, looking down. She got an idea when her eyes fell on a bag she was holding. She tossed it on the ground in front of Rosie, who immediately looked inside.

"Kunais and shurikens?"

"As Cruz mentioned, you need some weapons more than us."

"Thank you."

"No problem," Zakuro chuckled.

"'Kay, 'kay, let's hurry up now; they're waiting for us," Kenji tried to speed the group up.

"Yeah, right." His step-mother nodded. "Let's get going. You sure you're going to be okay?"

"We are."

The group headed away.

—

The D-Team and Traveling Forces arrived in the engine room, some of them were amazed by the machine.

Laura put the cosmos stone in the sword handle; her gloves protected her from any side effects. "I don't think we should store the crystals in the stone yet. Zepar can send out strong searchers, meaning everyone without a dinosaur or a weapon would be in trouble. I have no idea how big Zepar's powers are with the Last Crystal and how it affects the limits of the searchers. We have a disadvantage because unlike her we don't know what to expect."

"But we can still surprise her," Drack suggested, "she sees everyone but the owners as useless and weak; giving guardians the crystals might throw her off."

"Maybe."

Then the door opened at the Sakura Group walked in. "Guys!"

"Hold up, who the heck are these guys?" Andy asked once he spotted the Ancients and Rod, "and why is the Akuno here?!"

"A long story..." Max shrugged.

"Just get those bastards out of here," Ema growled.

"Cousin, I've already suggested that," Sue told her, "but we hell need all possible help."

"How can _they_ ever help us?" Sabi wondered aggressively.

Dengyo held her back. "Right now, we are only left to trust the D-Team's judgment and I trust them."

"Of course, there is no telling whether Drack and Mary are clear, but we can trust Kami. As long as she doesn't have the cosmos stone around her neck, she is harmless," Cruz said.

Laura smiled when she heard that. "Let me correct you," she exclaimed, ripping the sleeves off her shirt and wrapped the brown cape around her waist, "as long as I'm not wearing the stone, I am on your side."

Rod stared at her. "Since when are you such a badass?" he asked his sister.

Meanwhile, Justin walked over to the console, plugging his laptop to the main computer.

"We're in the middle of a literal apocalypse and the first thing you do when you see your family again is turning on your laptop?" Lucy raised her eyebrow.

"I must do this, so I can get Reese and Mrs. Drake on board during the battle," Justin explained, plugging his communicator in.

"You can do that?" Mike wondered.

"Maybe...It depends on the programming of the Backland." Justin typed something in and the screen filled with lines of code, starting to work.

Dark approached the Ancients. "I am glad to see that you are okay."

"That's mostly thanks to you," Trias told her.

"You know these people?" Sabi asked her friend.

"She saved our lives!" Cretacia replied before Dark could.

"Thank you so much, Dark." Rex hugged the dark-haired.

"Rex...I only did what everyone would..."

Ema glanced at her cousin, noticing the blood on her. "What on Earth were you doing?"

"Don't worry, it's my blood; I didn't kill anyone," Sue reassured her.

Ema sighed and opened a bottle of water she had with her. "Why do I always have to take care of you?" She summoned her crystal and made the water splash on her cousin's blood.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, what's the deal with those killers?"

Drack crossed his arms. "We aren't here to fight you." Suddenly, he got splashed in the face, groaning. He continued. "You don't have to take us as allies-" He got splashed again. "-we only have the same enemy." He finished as if nothing happened.

"We need everyone who can help," Amy tried to convince Ema.

"Does this help you judge us less?" Drack opened his coat, revealing pockets filled with dinosaur cards and move cards. "I managed to steal every single card from the Akuno, giving us some hope in the battle."

Ema glance away. "Fine..."

"So, where is Nick?" Niki asked, "I thought you said all of us would be here."

"He got captured," Kyra told her.

"No way..."

"Guess we can't go for a kill right away," Sora mumbled, "wait, does he have the crystal?"

"Actually..." Lucy pulled the ice crystal out of her pocket. "I kept it since Komatsu's death; though I'm not its guardian, so I can't use it."

"Good, so, we get Nicolas from the demon and strike? Okay!" Andy grinned.

"Uh, uh, uh~" Mary wagged her finger. "We stab her before striking."

"A little gory, don't you think?" Zakuro asked sister.

"Not my idea. That blonde lab chick came up with that. We stab her with a special sword that'll allow us to hit her and defeat her."

Then a mysterious female voice sounded through the room. **"You shouldn't..."**

"Huh?"

A bright light in the shape of a bird appeared in the room. **"You cannot destroy Zepar..."**

Some of them recognized that appearance. "The Pterosaur?" While others recognized the voice. "Ronwe Grey?" Rod and Laura said, "you're alive?"

 **"Oh...You two are here...This is...awkward..."**

"Ronwe Grey, the White Pterosaur and Zepar's sister are one and the same," Laura exclaimed, "that explains a lot. That's why Zepar wanted Harc; she wanted your daughter."

 **"That isn't why I am here... I must stop you before you make a mistake... Zepar and I are meant to maintain balance in the world."**

"Yeah, right. Except for the fact that your sister's trying to murder us," Cole commented, "you kept her alive."

 **"I had to...If she dies, I die as well..."**

"You're just afraid of death," Cruz told her, "you caused so much suffering because you are afraid to die."

 **"That is not-"**

"If this is your true identity then you are able to open the time wraps and you know what is going to happen," Rod spoke up.

 **"Yes."**

"Then...why didn't you save Sikers and Harc? They perished in the WW1, you could have saved them."

 **"That would damage the timeline, I couldn't do that..."**

"They were your family. Your husband and daughter and you couldn't save them?! You let them die..."

 **"I had to. Their souls formed into the crystals of light and darkness after their deaths... Any change of that would have unimaginable consequences. Not to mention that a certain guardian and owner are Harc's descendants..."**

"Descendants? You mean-"

 **"Harc was pregnant. She meant to tell you the day you disappeared. She had a daughter."**

"What...?" Rod's eyes filled with tears as his fists shook, digging his nails in his palms.

"Rod..." Laura took his hand.

"I'm fine..." He forced her to let go.

 **"I can't let you kill Zepar."**

"You didn't even try to save your husband and child, but you protect someone who wants to destroy the world?" Aki glared at Ronwe in disbelief and disgust.

"Stop that, Ronwe," Alice spoke up, "it is our choice to make. We decided our fate and we choose to fight and protect everything we love."

 **"You cannot, not in this formation."**

"We will."

 **"Serve yourselves."** Ronwe disappeared.

"To put it simply," Drack continued in the previous topic, "we fight until Zepar needs to recharge her powers, we distract her-"

"And we store the crystals inside Excalibur here," Dengyo interrupted him once he understood.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! We can't call it 'Excalibur'!" Kenji objected.

"What...? Why?"

"Because it is overused! We need something original like 'Demon Slayer'! No... No, no, no, no, no! That's a little over the top..." He suddenly gasped. "Time Defender!"

—

"I think I've just sent them to their deaths," Reese said, "what if I'm wrong? What if the weapon's useless?"

Rosie touched her shoulder. "Reese, you shouldn't think about it like that. You did everything you could and gave us hope. Even if it ends badly, it doesn't matter; we did our best."

"Mom, what are you-"

"I know you analyze the situation and always choose the right thing to do. I trust your decisions no matter what."

"I'm...not so sure about those..." Reese placed her hand on her wound. "After all, I gave her my body."

"You said that you had a plan."

"I did say that but...I don't even know if I had one. It was so stupid!" Reese yelped, burying her face in her palms.

"It was," Rosie told her, "that doesn't mean it was wrong, at least for you. A lost of something you've never had broke you. It hurts me to see you that way."

"...I...I just...I've lost what I've always wished for..." Reese uncovered her face, crying, "ever since I was a little kid, I've wanted what you and dad have...what we all have...A partner I can trust...A loving family... A chance of getting that was suddenly taken away from me and emotions that I didn't know exist started to fill my heart before I even realized that. I kept my feelings locked away and I threw away the key, waiting for someone to find it, but that lock was broken by force, turning me into...this... What man would ever want a woman that can't give him children and breaks down because of it...?"

"There sure are many and I know one of them personally." Rosie smiled nostalgically and looked at Reese once again. "When I said that I'd do the same, I meant it and you should know that I understand your pain."

She took a deep breath.

"After all, he was meant to be your little brother..."

—

Zepar was standing on the board of the Backland, right outside, waiting, holding the Last Crystal. **"You can't hide from me."**

As soon as she said that, an elevator arrived. She grinned and turned to it, as the door opened. **"Oh, there you are."**

Max, Rex, Zoe, Spike, Aki, Foster, and Mike walked out.

 **"Hm? A rather interesting combination I must say; I wasn't expecting you to take the _useless ones_ with you or did you come here to die?"**

"We're here to fight you!" Max replied.

 **"Is that so?"** Zepar's body turned into a black-haired woman with red eyes, her sister Ronwe.

 **"And can you really do that?"** She then took on the appearance of a blond man with green eyes and missing left arm, Sikers Grey.

 **"You stand no chance."** And then she was Harc.

 **"You're weak."** Then Haru Shiraki.

 **"Naive."** Then Komatsu.

 **"Nothing."** Then Phoebus Kato.

 **"Soon you'll lose."** Then Michael Miharu.

 **"And end up just like them."** Then Trias.

 **"Dead..."** And then Cretacia.

"That's where you're wrong!" she heard behind her and looked back, changing into herself. Her eyes widened as she watched Rod, Laura, the Ancients, Drack, and Mary.

"Not all of us are dead."

 **"H-how...? You are supposed to be dead!"**

"You shouldn't trust everything you hear," Drack told his former queen.

 **"Traitor."**

Out of nowhere, a fireball hit Zepar's back. The queen's grin widened and she turned to the third group, doing as if nothing happened. There was no dinosaur, so the fire must have come from the fire crystal.

 **"Is that all or should I expect another visit?"**

"This is everyone," Laura said.

 **"I see. So, my creator is scared to meet me, huh? Never mind; let's get this over with."** Zepar stomped on the floor and shadow-like figures rose from it.

They were already prepared for that and swiped their cards. "Dino slash!"

Max summoned Chomp the Triceratops and Blitz the Styracosaurus.

Rex summoned Ace the Carnotaurus.

Zoe summoned Paris the Parasaurolophus.

Alice summoned Tashi the Pachycephalosaurus.

Justin summoned Karo the Dimetrodon.

Ema summoned Ellen the Ampelosaurus.

Sue summoned Annie the Daspletosaurus.

Niki summoned Stegi the Stegosaurus.

Sabi summoned Star the Dilophosaurus.

Andy summoned Aaron the Coelophysis.

Dengyo summoned Shadow the Lufengosaurus.

Kyra summoned Jessica the Corythosaurus.

Cole summoned Mitch the Compsognathus.

Dark summoned River the Allosaurus.

Aki summoned Alpha, Zeta, Gamma, and Delta the Compsognathus.

Trias summoned Spiny the Spinosaurus and Tank the Saichania.

Amy summoned Hana the Euoplocephalus.

Rod summoned Terry the T-Rex.

Drack summoned Mahin the Megaraptor.

Mary summoned Feray the Carcharodontosaurus.

That threw Zepar off. Her eyes traced from Dark to Aki to Trias and then to Rod, realizing that was their plan. She'd never expect these four to fight.

The figures formed into different dinosaurs that attacked the real ones.

Zepar sighed. **"If everyone, then everyone."** She snapped her fingers and Nicolas appeared next to her, his feet trapped in ice, and she was holding his stone plate and cards.

"Nick!"

"This is fine..." he commented.

"Let my son go," Lucy said.

 **"Then come and get him."**

"As you wish." The scarlet-haired pulled the ice crystal from her pocket. "Andy, distract her..." she whispered, giving him her lighter, "Cole, tell Mitch to take the plate and the cards."

"Okay."

Andy fired some firecrackers and threw them at Zepar. "Hey! Leave him alone!" The crackers popped, making her cover her ears. Mitch quickly climbed at her and grabbed Nicolas' stuff in his jaws, escaping. Lucy tossed crystal to her son. He caught it.

"Focus on melting the ice!" she instructed him. He directed the crystal at the ice; the cyan crystal started to glow and the ice slowly turned into water. Once he was free, Nicolas ran away. He took his stuff from Mitch. "That was pretty cool," he admitted.

"Don't you mean pretty cold?" Andy wondered.

Nicolas glared at him.

"Pretty chill?"

"Andy, stop..." Sabi mumbled.

"Pretty frosty? Pretty icy...?"

"Dude, no. Just no," Nick told him.

"Okay..."

"Now, it's time to show her blizzard." He swiped his card, summoning Ria the Cryolophosaurus.

Zepar added some human searchers to the beasts to go after anyone without a dinosaur.

Max and Aki rode Chomp and Blitz respectively while the Compy Squad led the attack at Ceratops-like searchers. The Compy Squad split up and distracted the enemy, trying not to get stomped on. Chomp and Blitz rammed into the opponents.

Ace, River, and Mahin took care of big groups with Ninja Attack and Mayfly. Tashi, Ria, Star, Aaron, and Terry charged at Zepar while Paris, Karo, Ellen, Annie, Stegi, Shadow, Jessica, Mitch, Hana, Feray, Spiny, and Tank stayed back as a defense of the humans; it was needed.

A normal searcher grabbed Ken by his striped shirt and pick him up as he was running. "Hey!"

Sora punched the searcher away, Kenji fell down. "Ow... Thanks, dad..."

"Glad you're okay."

"Yeah..."

Then they heard a scream that made them shot their heads to the right. "Get away from me!" Zakuro was in trouble; several searchers gathered around her and she didn't have a source of fire near her to use the crystal. They were about to run to her when Mary, who was standing the closest to them, noticed Zepar's smirk as the Last Crystal formed spears out of Backland's metal roof. The spears flew at the Shinoris, but then Mary pushed the two away.

They both hit the roof and looked up to see 'Mary'...being impaled by more than 15 spears... No, whoever was standing there wasn't Mary...or at least they didn't know those two were the same person. Mary's ginger locks in a plait were suddenly shorter, down and bright blue; the body type also changed. This wasn't the Mary they knew, but they knew her...

"H...Hikari...?" Sora let out a choking sound; he couldn't believe he'd ever see her again.

Kenji has heard that name uncountable times and wished to meet that woman, however, not like this... "Mom?"

Mary or rather Hikari Yori smiled weakly, life slowly escaping her old body, turning into dust. She whispered her last words, they could barely hear her. "...I wanted to tell you after we win..." The remains of her body were gone before she could even hit the floor.

Just like with Drack's injury, there was no blood. Zepar kept them alive for too long...

This was the second time they both lost her...

Sora charged at Zepar for that, but a female voice stopped him. "Sora!"

"Zakuro!" He gasped and rushed to help her. He managed to beat the searchers up. "Keep your hands off my wife!" A few of them disappeared.

Zakuro smiled.

Drack could only stare at the place where his little sister perished.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Ema asked him sarcastically.

"It does... I haven't felt like that in a while..."

"At least now you know how it felt when you took Miharu away from me."

"Ema, don't provoke him," Rex told her, "Drack... I am sorry for your loss..."

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, everyone without a weapon was gathering behind the dinos, while the ones with weapons protected them from the other side. Foster was keeping the searchers away with gusts of wind by the wind crystal. The ones that managed to go through it were attacked by Spike's and Laura's whips and Mike's needle. Cretacia cheered them up.

She, Cruz, Sora, and Kenji were protected, however, some searchers slipped through the defense. The rest turned around and were about to stop the searchers when fire burst out of nowhere, destroying the searchers. The fire died out, revealing Lucy and Zakuro holding a lighter and the fire crystal respectively.

"Wow, my wife is freaking badass," Sora awed, his jaw dropped.

Zakuro smirked.

Lucy pulled the metal crystal out of her pocket. "Let's get you guys some weapons." The crystal started to glow; four metal sticks came out of the Backland's roof and formed into two katanas, an Estoque sword, and giant scissors. Each of the unarmed took one of them.

"LET'S GOOOOO!" The Shinoris rushed into the battle with the katanas.

"And I love that dork..." Zakuro facepalmed herself, blushing.

Cretacia ran to Trias to protect him since she now had a weapon.

Cruz stayed where he was.

As more and more searchers made their way towards them, Zakuro and Lucy were prepared to strike, but then...

"Lucy..." that male voice made her freeze. She turned her head slightly to the left and saw _him_.

There's no way...

A brunet man that resembled Nicolas if he was older.

"This can't be..."

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see your husband after five years?" he asked her.

"You're dead."

He could only smile softly at her.

"He must be an illusion and-" Zakuro was interrupted by a different male voice.

"Zak..." She and Laura looked to its source; they knew that voice.

They stared at a dark-haired man with glasses.

"Dad...?"

"Haru..."

Komatsu and Shiraki weren't only dead ones that stood there. Andy, Ema, and Rod stared at their father, best friend, and lover respectively.

—

"Why do you bring him up all of a sudden?" Reese wondered, "he was taboo for 15 years."

"Because I want to remind you that your situation isn't unique. Except for that evil goddess trying to take over your body. Michiko..." Rosie whispered Reese's second name, making her look at her. "As a child, you stayed silent and sad, so dad and I wanted to give you someone special to you. You were so happy when you found out you're going to be a big sister. I'll never forget your smile... You were preparing to meet your brother more than we were. In several months of my pregnancy, we lost him... My heart broke three times that day when I found out he's dead, when we told you about it, and... when I was told that there is a small possibility that I'll ever have another child... I reacted the same way as you now... I understand you."

"Mom..." Reese sighed. "...When I ran into my room that day, dad followed me and asked me to help you as much as I can. Now I understand why..."

"I'm so thankful to both of you; you both gave me hope and I think that hope is why we have Zoe; she is our miracle that has always fought for her life. Despite what I was told, I managed to give birth to another child."

"What's your point...?"

"Miracles can happen even in the most hopeless situations. Your miracle is waiting for you, you only need to find it and that won't happen if you give up."

Reese smiled. "Thank you..." She stood up, taking a deep breath. "I feel much better now. We should head out, the others need us."

Rosie nodded. "Let's go."

—

"Miharu..." Ema smiled, looking at her best friend.

"Hey, Wada."

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you; that I couldn't save you."

He shook his head. "Not your fault."

"I know..."

"...Harc, is that you?" Rod reached his hand to his lover. He stroked her cheek. "I've missed you..."

She held his hand. "So have I. Please, come back home."

Tears filled his eyes. "How was she like? Our...our daughter..."

"I can't really tell you."

"Because you aren't real... I know..."

Phoebus rubbed Andy's head. "Happy to see me?"

"Sure, but..." Andy frowned. "You're going to disappear... I wish you were here to help us fight."

"Me too."

"At least I can finally tell you... Goodbye, dad..."

Zakuro was looking at her father; she was breathless.

"You've grown up so fast, Zak," he told her.

She shook her head, tears in her eyes. "...don't do this to me..."

Laura touched her shoulder. "Zak...I know, this hurts, but you can't bring him back."

Zakuro nodded, reaching the fire crystal towards the illusion of her deceased father, however, she couldn't get rid of the searchers even if she wanted because the source of the fire was distracted.

Lucy had her eyes on her husband, ignoring everything around her.

The situation caught even her children's attention. Alice and Justin held Kyra from running to the illusion. Nicolas trembled, emotions mixing inside him; he was happy but mad...

The red-head walked over to Komatsu.

"Lucy, stop! He isn't real!"

But she didn't listen...

"It's been a long time... I've tried to get myself closer to you to see you sooner." She glimpsed at the lighter she was holding. "I've been killing myself with an addiction, but... I can't do that anymore..."

"Lucy, you know that I love you."

Her face cringed. "Then why...? Tell me why did you do that...? Why?!" she cried and slapped him, "...why did you do that to me, bastard...?"

Seeing what this illusion causes to his mother, Nicolas decided to stop this. He had Ria use Snow Crystals at his father, making him disappear. Lucy continued crying. "I love you..." she whispered softly.

Her smoker cough came back out of nowhere, her knees were getting weak, her whole body was shaking. Arms wrapped around her, helping her stand and calm down.

"It's going to be alright," Dr. Owen told her.

"Foster..."

The rest of the dead ones were also taken care of.

Zepar raised her hand, meaning to summon more searchers since they were all defeated, but she was weakened, using too much power on the last five illusions; she must do it on her own until she recharges.

Laura noticed. "Distraction! Now!"

"Cole!" Sue turned to the brunet.

He nodded his head and swiped the Death Grind card. Mitch charged at Zepar, using only the _last part_ of the move. "Sue!"

She activated the Volcano Burst card. Annie's fire headed to the queen, mixing with the gas and exploding.

"Boom!" both Cole and Sue yelled.

The others gathered, storing the crystals inside the cosmos stone in the Time Defender.

 **"How dare you?! I am your goddess and you dare to use a farting move against me?!"** Zepar shouted, **"this crosses the line!"** She picked Mitch up by the tail.

"Let him go!"

The Compy Squad attacked Zepar to save their pack's Beta. She simply pushed or kicked them away.

"That's enough!" Cole was about to get payback for his dinos.

"Do not interfere until I can stand," Laura said before charging against Zepar with the Time Defender.

"Laura!" Rod wanted to follow her, though Cruz held him back.

"She must do this."

"I can't lose her again!"

"Understandable; I know exactly how it feels, nevertheless you must trust your sister. No matter how this ends, it'll set her free."

Rod sighed, hanging his head.

Zepar watched her princess approach. She threw Mitch away, preparing to fight. Laura pressed the button on the handle to power the blade and slashed the sword. Zepar jumped back.

 **"What are you trying, princess? You know you can't hurt me. As long as I am aware of the attack, I can avoid it."**

"We'll see about that." Laura was about to strike, leaving herself open to Zepar's attack. Zepar kicked her in the stomach. Laura hit the metal roof but immediately got back up. Zepar was ready for that; she made the metal rise up by the Last Crystal, throwing Laura away. She hit her head and couldn't stand up, letting go of the sword. Zepar walked over to her, stepping on her wrist.

 **"I've never wanted to hurt you, Kami. You've been like a daughter to me."**

"...I've never been...I've been only a slave to you..."

All of sudden, Drack high-kicked Zepar's back. The demon faced him and swiftly grabbed his throat. As Zepar was distracted, Rod rushed to his sister and carried her away.

"...I failed..."

"No, you did great," he reassured her.

Zepar squeezed Drack's throat; he was doing his best to make her lose the grip, but unsuccessfully.

Mike threw his needle at Zepar, stabbing her shoulder. She groaned and let go of Drack. She focused on him so much that she left herself open to attacks. She took the giant needle off her and destroyed it.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Nicolas yelled before he tried to stab her with the Time Defender from behind. Zepar simply made a few steps to the side.

 **"You know you shouldn't yell before sneak attacking; it defeats the purpose."**

Zepar knocked Nick down instantly, stepping on his head as he was facing the roof. The sword fell out of his hand.

 **"Another one of these strong talk idiots. Just be gone already."** Zepar's right arm turned into a sword blade, slowly rubbing it against Nicolas' throat.

"Nick, no!" Niki swiped a move card. "Spike Arrows!" Stegi charged his attack and he shot at Zepar.

The queen smirked and her body turned into gas and the spikes flew through her, then she materialized again. She rolled her eyes. **"What did I literally just say? Are you really that stupid?"**

"Well, maybe I am, but I won't let you touch him!"

 **"Why do you care? He is arrogant, selfish, careless, not worth living."**

"Well, you're wrong," Niki told her, "Nick might be all that, but he only needs people that don't judge him. Everyone acts according to the expectations of others, even you!"

 **"Huh?"** Zepar glared at the blonde. **"Why do I feel like you're wasting my-"** Sooner than she could finish that sentence, she felt several stabs in the back. She quickly turned around, pulling shurikens that hit her out of her back. Her smirk widened as her small dark eyes fell on Rosie and Reese who just came to the battle. **"Creator, finally. I have been waiting for you."**

"Right on time!" Justin cheered.

Nicolas took his chance to escape.

As soon as he was near the group, Zepar used the Last Crystal to trap them in a metal box, keeping only Rosie and Reese free.

"Stay back. I'll take care of her," Reese said before walking towards Zepar.

"Be careful."

"I will..." She smiled.

 **"Oh, Creator, haven't you learned? You cannot defeat me."**

"We'll see about that."

Once she was close enough, Zepar tried to punch her, ending with the same result as the last time; Reese stopped her fist. Zepar's right arm was still in the form of a blade—she slashed around, attempting to hit the scientist. The blonde dodged every single try and backed away, however, as she focused on Zepar, she didn't realize the demon can use the crystal and manipulate the metal under them or that there can be things lying around. Reese suddenly tripped and fell down. Zepar pointed the blade at her, brushing it against her cheek.

 **"So, perfect; pity that I must destroy my best creation."**

Zepar pulled her arm away to strike the strongest hit she can.

Reese noticed the spike arrows that were lying around—she tripped over one. She grabbed one of them, blocking Zepar's stab. "You can't kill me that easily." She kicked Zepar off her. She got up, pointing Stegi's spike at her like a sword.

 **"That's why you are so perfect."**

Meanwhile, the group had to get out of the metal box.

"...Rosie...Reese..." Mike whispered.

"We have to hurry!" Zoe said.

"We can't," Dengyo replied, "the crystal of metal is inside the 'Time Defender'."

"Which is outside; we must break through then," Justin realized.

Nicolas sighed in irritation. "Step away from the wall," he said before swiping the Blizzard Smash card. Ria froze one of the walls.

Tank and Hana hit the wall with their club tails and Tashi rammed into it with her head; it did nothing. They did it again with the same result.

It all seemed hopeless when then a bright light appeared in front of them, blasting off the walls. The light formed into a human body; a tall woman with curly black hair and red eyes, wearing a white robe.

"Ronwe? Why are you here?" Rod asked her.

 **"I told you that you cannot win against her in the formation you were in, but that's changed, hasn't it?"**

At that moment, Zepar smashed Reese's weapon out of her hand and knocked her down. The blonde was looking up at her, backing away, however, she had to stop because she got near the edge of the Backland.

 **"Well, well, well, I guess this will be the end of you. Time to say goodbye."**

"Leave her alone!" Zoe rushed between them, protecting her sister.

"...Zoe..."

Zepar's smirk widened more if that was even possible.

Zoe's action inspired even someone else. Mike stepped in front of her. "Don't touch my daughters."

 **"Let me guess, I'll have to get through you first. News for you, I want certain people dead, including you three; I don't even care anymore. Just die already!"** Zepar charged towards him.

"NOOOO!" Reese screamed.

The time almost seemed to be frozen for a moment.

She got up and rushed over to Zepar, pushing her father off the way; her eyes were closed.

She stopped, waiting for the blade to impale her.

Then she heard Zepar gasping for breath.

She opened her eyes, staring at Zepar's arm that was reaching to her face; it was back to normal...? How...?

After that, she noticed the Time Defender's glowing blade sticking out of Zepar's stomach. The queen's dark eyes were wide opened and bloodshot. More than in pain she seemed surprised, shocked that a mere stab could cause her body to disobey her and turn into completely human-like form.

 **"How...? This...this shouldn't be possible..."**

Zepar wasn't the only one confused; Reese had no clue about who actually saved her. She leaned to the side and saw light brown nearly ginger hair.

"Mom...?"

Rosie couldn't tell her anything to that—she was just as shocked as everyone else.

 **"You can't...YOU CAN'T DEFEAT YOUR GODDESS!"** Zepar yelled and the Last Crystal started to glow. Several metal spikes, arrows, and spears came out of the roof. The whole family made their way away from Zepar unharmed by her attacks, the Time Defender still inside her.

She was about to follow them when arms wrapped around her from behind, keeping her in one spot.

 **"Stop this already, sister,"** Ronwe told her.

 **"Oh, Ron, do you realize that this will be your end too?"**

 **"I don't mind... I cannot let you destroy everything we built up. Now! Do it!"**

Hearing those words, everyone, who could, activated a move card and all dinosaurs attacked the sisters. A huge blast hit them, creating a pressure wave that filled their surroundings.

Zepar soon chuckled as her body slowly disappeared. **"You really aren't all that bad... Humans aren't all evil. You managed to prove me wrong. Princess... Creator... It's been a pleasure to meet you. Apologizing to you all would be pointless; you'd never forgive me. Do one thing for me...celebrate your victory...You've just killed the most powerful being in the universe after all..."**

Ronwe continued when her older sister was gone. **"I've never thought this would be the end... But I am glad I'll be able to see them both again... Before I go, a time warp leading to the year 2130 is going to open in two days at this exact time. I am sorry that I could not help you more...Goodbye..."**

They were both gone...

Only the Time Defender and the Last Crystal were left lying on the roof. Reese headed to get them.

The sky was clear and all Zepar's tricks were nowhere to be found. All dinosaurs turned into cards, exhausted from the battle.

"What the...?" The stone plate in Nicolas's hand vanished.

"Both of them are gone, there is no point in the existence of objects with their powers," Justin theorized.

Reese picked the Last Crystal up and sighed. "It might not be over yet..."

"What do you mean?" Sabi asked her.

"The crystal's still here. I'll go destroy it. Who-knows what destroying of this thing can do to me, so I rather do it without you watching. If I don't come back in five minutes, come after me." And without another word, she went inside the Backland.

She returned after a while, smiling. The first one to rush to her was Kyra, who hugged her tightly.

It was over...

—

 **And that's it! We only have one chapter to go, but before I tell you goodbye, for now, I have a few things I wanna clear out.**

 **Don't take Mary turning into dust as an Infinity War reference, I see it more as a Tangled reference.**

 **The whole part with Reese and Rosie talking was once again a last-minute addition.**

 **I don't think I have any words to the combo of Death Grind and Volcano Burst, other than the Death Grind is meant to be the Japanese version of the attack.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and I'll see you in the last chapter.**


	25. Final Decision

Everything was back to normal. They all were on the roof of the Backland, celebrating their victory when they heard several cars approaching.

Andy looked down to see them, a group of black cars. "Guys! There's a delegation here!"

"What the heck do you mean?" Nicolas asked him, glancing as well.

"Yeah, who'd go here after such a fight?" Kenji joined them.

"...Shuryo..." Sora realized, "we're doomed..."

"Shuryo?" Niki gasped, knowing that name.

"Who is Shuryo?" Kyra wondered.

"The head of government's department of abnormal activities," Reese answered, "Sora is right; we're in trouble."

"Chomp and the others are exhausted, but they might be able to scare these guys off," Max suggested.

"No," his father told him, "don't call out your dinosaurs no matter what."

Then a male voice was carried to them through a megaphone. "I demand every single citizen to leave this ship and meet with us on the ground."

Sora gulped. "It is him..."

"So, we'll go? Or..." Sue crossed her arms.

"We'll go." Reese nodded.

"What the hell?!"

"There is no point in resistance," Amy said.

"We don't have a reason not to go," Zoe agreed.

They all teleported under the Backland, facing Shuryo and his men.

Niki hid behind Nicolas right away.

"So, you have nothing to do with this?" Shuryo asked, his hands folded behind his back, "Dr. Spike Taylor, Dr. Reese Drake, did you seriously think I wouldn't find out?"

Reese was about to react to that, but Shuryo raised his hand. "Don't. I won't be fooled by your lies this time."

"Boss, we can easily explain," Sora said.

"You'll have enough time to explain," Shuryo told him, "Taiho, arrest these three." He ordered one of his men.

"Even Shinori?" Taiho, a black-haired man with tanned skin, looked at his boss. Shuryo nodded. "Especially him." "...yes, sir."

"What?!"

Taiho and other men obeyed, arresting Spike, Reese, and Sora. She was the only one not struggling.

"Hey! Leave them alone!" The rest didn't want to let them just do that.

Max and Cole pulled out their cards; Aki kept them from summoning their dinosaurs, remembering what Spike told them.

"You three take all responsibility for any events that happen on this machine and note that today will not come unnoticed."

Knowing that the three are in trouble, Trias did the only thing he could at the moment. "They aren't responsible for anything."

"Oh, really? So, you are more informed than I am? How so?" Shuryo wondered.

Cretacia managed to see through her husband's words and she joined him. "We've built that machine and own it."

"I see." Shuryo nodded. "If that is the case... Taiho, you know what to do."

Taiho locked handcuffs around the Ancients' wrists.

"You have no right to do this!" Sabi objected, "none of your people are part of police forces."

Shuryo frowned, raising his eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I am a daughter of lieutenant and sergeant Kons, I know enough about this stuff; you cannot arrest anyone without police forces unless the mayor approves it and I honestly doubt he would."

The man chuckled. "I don't need approvals. Wada cannot stop me. He nor your parents will not stand in my way; my men are holding them and his family in his house, waiting for my orders."

"You won't get away with this!" Ema snapped at him.

He grinned devilishly as his eyes on her. "Oh, I already have and not even the mayor's daughter can stop me."

"That's where you're wrong."

"I don't think so. Take all five into the cars."

Shuryo's men obeyed, heading in the cars.

"No offense, sir, but aren't they going to save Wada now that you told them where we hold him?" Taiho asked his boss quietly.

"That is exactly why I told them," Shuryo replied before they left.

The others could only watch the cars drive away.

"Why didn't you let us save them?" Cole asked his mother, "our dinos could have just scare those guys off."

Aki only frowned at him, glaring.

"Um..." He sweated.

"Your father wouldn't ask you not to do that if he didn't have a reason."

"But we can't just let that guy arrest them," Zoe said, "We gotta do something."

"It might be better if we don't interfere," Dengyo exclaimed.

"May I remind you that our families' lives are on the line here?" Sabi growled, "you'd do the same."

"I would, but you heard for yourself, we shouldn't use our dinosaurs, plus we are only limited to five metal plates to summon them, not to mention that one of them was just taken away from us. Without the crystals, most of us are simple kids; your astrological knowledge, Kenji's cameraman skills or my fast reading are useless. There isn't really a rational thing we can do to help."

"Well, there still is hope," Niki spoke up and everyone looked at her; she was playing with her long blond hair, "I might have an idea."

—

All of Shuryo's prisoners were standing in his office as he sat down, talking. "I must admit that the lie I was given two years ago was very convincing and impressive."

"To tell the truth, I am not proud of any lie I have said," Reese admitted, "they've never brought anything good."

"Now I wish to hear the truth," Shuryo said, "though, I am not sure I'd get any of that from you."

"Boss, could I know why you arrested even me...?" Sora wondered.

"Because you are a traitor, Shinori."

"I can't even count how many times somebody said that word today..." Spike commented.

Shuryo pressed a key on his laptop and a recording of a certain conversation sounded from the computer.

"What even is this place?" Sora's voice asked from the recording.

"Can you keep it a secret from Shuryo and Wada?" Spike's voice questioned.

"Sure. I wouldn't betray fellow guardians," Sora's voice reassured him.

"This is Backland," Spike from the recording replied.

"What...?" Sora murmured.

"A time machine," Reese's voice joined.

"You're joking..." Sora said with the recording.

The recording ended.

"Bugs..."

"Of course there are bugs on the ship. Before we moved it over the forest, bugs were placed all over it in case I don't get another chance to enter it again. I was met with such an utter backstabbing, Shinori."

Sora sighed. "Why am I not surprised? You always have a plan. And FYI, boss, I'm quitting."

"What do you want with us and the machine?" Trias asked Shuryo.

"I want power."

"Again?" Cretacia murmured in irritation.

"Huh?" Shuryo raised his eyebrows.

"This isn't our first rodeo; you're like the fifth one with this motive."

The man stood up. "I only want to make Sanjo and Japan great; an army of dinosaurs won't have a worthy opponent. I just need you to help me."

"Never!" they all snapped.

"I honestly doubt there is anything you can do." Shuryo pulled out a fire dinosaur card and a lighter. "It still seems I'll have to get help by force."

Then, a beeping sound came from the computer. Shuryo hit a key to answer the call.

"Yes, Taiho?"

"Sir, you have a guest," Taiho's voice said.

"A guest? Bring them in my office."

"Yes, sir."

Soon the door opened and Taiho brought a teenage girl with very long blond hair in. Then he left. Shuryo recognized her. "Nicole, long time no see."

"Hi, uncle Seiji!" She smiled and hugged him.

"I'm glad to see you, but I am busy."

"Well, I am sorry..."

"No, it's alright."

Suddenly, the beeping sound started again. Shuryo did the same as before. "What now, Taiho?" he asked annoyedly.

"A dinosaur just appeared at Wada's house!"

"What?!" A grin formed on his face. "Perfect. Nicole, I need to leave for a minute now; can you stay here?"

"Well, sure!"

Shuryo nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Well, Niki Saka to the rescue!"

"Wait, wait, wait, you're Shuryo's niece?" Sora wondered.

"Unfortunately...Well, we can't choose our family. Time to get you out of here." Niki pulled out a lockpick and started freeing them all. "It's an irony that he was the one who taught me picking locks."

Handcuffs fell to the floor, setting them all free.

"Nicole, did you actually think through a plan to free us?" Reese asked her.

"Well, only the part of getting here; I can't get credit for everything. So, others are all over the city, switching the dino signals to distract Seiji and his men."

"They only have four metal plates available," Trias remembered, "we can't lose time." He gave the last metal plate to Niki, so they have at least one dinosaur if things go wrong.

They quickly left the building, avoiding and knocking out several guards. Once they escaped, however, they were met with Shuryo again.

"Betrayed by my most reliable man and my own niece; how sad."

A car swiftly stopped behind him and a brunet man in a leather jacket walked out, pointing a gun at Shuryo's head. "Add another name to your list of betrayals."

Shuryo smirked. "You can't stop me, Miharu."

More people exited the car including Ema, Sabi, Sue, their families.

"Surrender, Shuryo, it's over," the mayor, who left the car, told him.

"You're right it is over," Shuryo agreed, slowly putting the fire dinosaur card to the lit-up light he was holding.

His former prisoners noticed. "The card!"

Niki immediately caught the signal and summoned her dinosaur before her uncle could. She ordered Stegi to stop him. The Stegosaurus smacked the greenish-haired man with his tail, tossing him away.

"I'm sorry..."

It took Shuryo a while to get back to his senses, but he was already surrounded and arrested by the Kons.

His men left the building to see what is going on; they weren't brave enough to even try going past the dinosaur.

Niki stroked Stegi's head proudly.

The brunet that threatened Shuryo, Jeff Miharu, threw the gun away, reaching his hands in front of him. "Lieutenant, I'll make it easier for you." Kon arrested him.

Wada sighed. "Ema, I must admit that not even my carrier is safe and it might be one of the most dangerous ones." He glanced at his daughter. "I shouldn't have controlled your life."

"And?" his wife added.

"And I shouldn't have made a minute-to-minute schedule for you."

"And?" his brother-in-law added.

"And I should have let you leave whenever you want."

"And?" Sue added.

"I should have let you meet whoever you want."

"And?" his 10-year-old son Otto added.

"I should have been more of a father to both of you."

Ema smiled softly. "Well, I think you can fix that if you do me a few favors."

"Anything."

Sabi growled in annoyance, glaring at her communicator; two dinosaur signals in the city were constantly switching. "Andy's and Cole's groups keep calling their dinos for the distraction."

"What the hell did you expect?" Sue asked her, grinning, her arms folded behind her head, "they are idiots."

"Yeah..." Sabi smiled slightly. "They're our idiots..."

Not long after, they all met up again and soon parted their ways in groups.

—

Lucy headed to the coast by herself. She leaned on the railing, gazing into the water. She was so lost in her thoughts that her ears completely blocked any sound that would distract her. She was snapped out only when somebody touched her shoulder.

She quickly jerked her head back to see Dr. Owen smiling at her.

"Hey, Foster..." she murmured.

"Is it okay if I spend some time by your side here?" he wondered.

"I don't mind..." She looked back into the water; he leaned on the railing as well.

"You'd usually be smoking. What's wrong?"

"Guess I don't have a reason to keep killing myself anymore."

"Oh..."

"He betrayed me."

"He was under a spell; he didn't know what he was doing," Foster tried to explain from what he knew.

Lucy shook her head. "That wasn't everything he did to me. He flirted with other women right in front of me...!"

"I know how it feels..."

She saw Foster's reflection lower his head.

"Founding out that your supposed soulmate has chosen someone else instead of you will haunt you for life... At least, it still haunts me..."

"Foster... They just weren't the right ones for us."

"Yeah." He smiled at her.

She grinned back, blushing.

—

It was getting dark.

Reese was sitting in a hospital corridor, waiting. She was holding her hands together, staring down.

The hospital recovered quickly after the Akuno events and everyone got back to work.

Wendy was walking through the corridor when she spotted her. She sat beside her. "How are you?"

"Nervous..."

"Why are you here? Did you get hurt during the chaos?"

"No...I mean, yes, but it isn't serious," Reese replied, "I'm here because of something else." She touched her wound. "I need to make sure if my mistake was worth it..."

"I see. Then I wish you good luck."

"Thank you..."

—

Meanwhile, the Taylors and the Drakes were preparing for the dinner that was interrupted by Laura before the Akuno events, having the Ancients join them.

They were in Backland's kitchen, cooking and talking.

"So, only two days, huh?" Max said quietly.

"It isn't a very long time." Zoe shook her head.

"Yeah... I'm going to miss you all..." Rex sighed. "I wish I could stay here a little longer..."

"Rex, could we speak to you in private?" his father asked him.

"Huh?" The trio looked up at him.

"Sure." He nodded and left with his parents.

The others looked at one another.

The family went into another room; the door closed and Trias started; "Your mother and I have been thinking—it depends purely on your decision—you can stay here at home while we travel back into the future."

"You mean like...letting you leave again?" Rex gazed at him confusedly.

He nodded, making the blond frown and turn away.

Cretacia gasped. "No, no! Rex, please, don't take this wrong way! It's not like we don't want to be with you-"

"That isn't what I think..." Rex stopped her. "...I...um...I've lost you both too many times; I don't know if I can do it again, but I can't leave everything and everyone I've grown up with again..."

"That's why we're giving you a choice," his father told him, "We shouldn't have forced you to come with us; we realized how much it hurt you when it was too late. If you choose to stay here, we won't be mad; we know we leave you in good hands. What Rod told the Pterosaur opened my eyes; the happiness and lives of the ones we love are worth breaking any rules of the universe."

"Right!" Cretacia agreed, smiling weakly, "they're your family more than us."

Rex quickly turned back with tears in his eyes. "That's not true! Yes, I've known them longer and I want to stay here, but that doesn't mean anything. You'll always be my parents and I'll always love you through all the time that'll keep us apart..."

"Oh, Rex!" Cretacia spread her arms and hugged her son tightly, crying.

Trias held his tears back, but couldn't take it anymore. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around them both.

"And we can't separate you from your girlfriend," Cretacia teased.

"Alice isn't my girlfriend!" Rex objected, blushing.

"I've never mentioned her name~"

"A-anyway, I...I need to tell you what happened while you were gone," Rex sobbed.

Soon, they came back in the kitchen; the others noticed that Rex was in tears.

"What happened?" Aki worried.

The blond smiled. "I'm staying here."

Everyone gasped delightedly, smiling.

Max hugged his best friend; he was happy that he'll still have him by his side.

"That isn't everything," Trias added, "it might be for the best to leave your dinosaurs with you."

"What...?" They were all shocked by his sudden change.

"The cards will get to us eventually; separating you would be unfair. We'll do anything to fix the Space Pirate ship to get back to you all."

Suddenly the door opened again and Reese walked in. "I apologize if I'm late I..." She touched her wound. "I needed to make sure...if it was useless or not..." A smile formed on her face. "I'm healed..."

"That's amazing!" Zoe rushed to her, embracing her. "I'm happy for you."

Reese stroked her head, but her smile vanished.

—

The next day, the mayor Wada brought his daughter Ema, his niece Sue and her friend Amy with their dinos to the airport to meet a certain family. Ema insisted that he makes sure this family travels to Sanjo as soon as possible. Sue dragged Amy with them to meet the family.

"I hell owe you for this, cousin," Sue admitted.

"It was nothing," Ema told her, "what wouldn't I do for the family..."

"But why am I here?" Amy wondered. Her lizard Hana III was on her shoulder.

"You'll see," Sue replied, leaning her elbow on her other shoulder, "I'm sure you'll like this."

"Okay..."

After a while, an Indian royal family approached them. The daughter and her little Deltadromeus headed to the girls.

"And here they come."

"Should...I do something? ...like bowing?" Amy asked Sue.

"Well, she is a princess."

Amy blinked at her friend and turned to the princess, bowing.

"Woah, you don't have to do that," the princess told her and glared at Sue, "she's just pranking you."

Sue sweated a little as even Amy glanced at her. "Sorry, girl. Anyways, Meena-" Before Sue turned to her, the princess hugged her tightly. Sue wrapped her arms around her.

"I hell missed you, girl."

"I missed you too."

Meena then looked at Amy. "It is so nice to meet you, Amy, I've heard a lot about you. I'm Meena."

"N-nice to meet you too..." Amy blushed. "You know me?"

"Of course!"

Sue put herself between them. "So, basically, I've complained about you not talking to me quite a lot..."

Both of her friends chuckled.

"I wanted you two to meet because...Meena saved you in a certain way," she said.

"What do you mean?" Amy titled her head.

"She helped me open my eyes; unlike anyone else, she had patience with me and she trusted me. It led to me saving you from the Akuno and...saving...my own butt... Basically, she's just as amazing as Zoe!"

The princess blushed and smiled.

Meanwhile, Hana II the Euoplocephalus, Annie the Daspletosaurus and Ellen the Ampelosaurus played with Meena's Deltadromeus Blue. He was wagging his tail happily.

—

They headed to the Backland where others were.

Justin was fascinated by the whole place, so Rod decided to show him around.

Zakuro also loved the thought of traveling through time; she was talking to Trias while their significant others were spinning on chairs. Zakuro is a historian, so she is very interested in this concept.

Lucy and Foster were talking and Kyra, Cole, Max, Zoe, Rex, and Alice were playing with the dinos.

Then the door opened and Sue, Amy, and Meena walked in.

"Bow, everyone! The princess enters!" Sue said.

"Sue, please, no..." Meena chuckled.

"Meena!" Zoe gasped and cuddled her friend.

"Hey, Zoe!" The two friends greeted each other.

"Alright, princess, you're lucky because to thank you I brought you right to your dream come true! Rockstar!" Sue called.

Cole headed to them with a deep and acting bow. "Ladies~"

Meena was gazing at the tall boy with amaze and admiration.

"Your royalty, I've heard you are my fan; I'll be glad to spend time with you if you wish so," he said.

"Sue, you're amazing," Meena told the brunette.

"I know..." Sue shrugged.

Sora and Cretacia stopped spinning on the chairs. The paleontologist was upside down and her eyes fell on Rex and Alice who were having fun together; it made her remember.

She jumped off the chair and rushed to take a book and headed to Alice. "Ali! I have something for you."

"For me...?" The brunette looked at her confusedly.

Cretacia nodded and gave her a book. '101 sure-fire ways to be popular with boys even if you're a dinosaur geek who's always out hunting for fossils.' "I bought this one while we were in Luminary; I hope this will help you..." she whispered and winked at the teen, "I had it when I was your age and I'm married thanks to it."

Alice's face turned red in embarrassment, stuttering nonsensically.

Rex blushed as well, smiling.

Alice took a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you, Cretacia."

Drack who was also there with the Drakes rolled his eyes. He headed away. "I'm done..." he murmured.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked him

"Away from here. I am not a good guy after all; I don't have a reason to be here." Drack waved his hand, showing them his back.

"Drack?"

"What?" He stopped and looked back to see Mike smiling at him.

"Thank you."

Drack grinned modestly. "Don't mention it."

—

On the evening of that day, somebody knocked on the front door of Vivian's house; she is Mike's mother. She opened the door and saw a person she'd never expect to meet again in her life.

It was Drack; his body was much older than we knew it.

"Hey, Viv..."

—

It was the day. Everyone gathered at the lake; Rod and Laura were sure that is the place since the time warps that transported them the first time appeared also there. They were right.

A portal opened.

"Well, it's time..." Laura murmured.

"Kami?"

She turned back. Zakuro approached her. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"Thank you for understanding..."

Cruz looked at her as well. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Kami—I mean, Laura."

She smiled.

"I'm grateful to you for taking care of my little sister, Cruz," Rod told him.

"We'll come back as soon as possible," Trias said, "until then, please, take care of Rex."

"Of course."

"I'll miss you..." Rex sobbed and hugged his parents.

With warm goodbyes, they all left. The others were waving and some were even crying. Only one person did nothing; she was standing in the back, lowering her head and curling her hands into fists, hoping that no one finds out the truth that remains undiscovered.

—

 **So, this is the end... 2019 was my most productive year and this was a very successful decade for me; that's only thanks to you.**

 **Raven came up with the idea of Cretacia giving Alice the book and many more. Bel, CarnotaurusMan, Veronika, Miraki, and imyouknowwho were a big support and inspiration as well. Thank you all.**

 **Sure, I am working on new projects including a sequel and I'm considering a prequel, but I am busy, so until June there won't be constant posts.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the remake of my first story and I look forward to entertaining you again soon.**


End file.
